


Tempest

by Adora



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - 1940s, Anal Sex, Angst and Tragedy, Drama, England (Country), F/M, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Vaginal Sex, World War II, Yaoi, harurin - Freeform, makogou, rinharu - Freeform, rintori - Freeform, sougou, the tempest (Ludwig van Beethoven), the tempest (natural phenomenon), the tempest (shakespeare)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-10 17:43:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6998302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adora/pseuds/Adora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was no destination. There was no end. Just a bottomless, aquatic pit. And he was drowning.<br/>Drowning in an era of War and love, trapped in a mansion that had relinquished its glory, trying to fend off his sister's suitors.<br/>Until those blue eyes arrived, bringing alongside his doom.<br/>(AU - RinHaruRin/SouGou)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1. 1936, somewhere in England

**Prologue**

  
The sea was hollering. Clouds of ash had swirled in a tumult of stormy air high above. Enormous, raging waves were blotting out the sky, before smashing into the carcass that had once been a ship. Lacerating rain and howling winds were bringing the ocean apart, and he could still hear the raucous echo of the midnight bedlam, deep down below as he went.  
  
Sinking. Drowning.  
  
There was no destination. There was no end. Just a bottomless, aquatic pit. The cold, onyx water was paralyzing his small limbs and his lungs recoiled in pain deep within his chest. But he was too tired to keep fighting against this oceanic grave. Way too tired. Before he lost consciousness, he thought he saw a silver gleam dancing through the ink before his sight. Something grabbed him by the nape. And then he was gone.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he was on a small boat , swaddled in blankets and burning in fever. He had been one of the last two people to be pulled alive from the tempest's fury. Immediately, he sought his family and his weary gaze eventually settled on his young mother, soaked and frozen as she was, trying to comfort his bawling sister in her arms.  
  
But his father was nowhere to be found.

  
  
**1  
**  
**1936, somewhere in England**

  
  
Strings of iridescent light and pools of faint shadow were cycling in his path, as he scurried along the row of arched windows, down the vaulted ceiling corridor. A dozen of letters and envelops threatened to leap out of his grasp, as his fingers rifled through the week's mail and his purple eyes scoured for any important matter that would require immediate response. Such was his engrossment , that he never noticed the light shade slowly peeping out the end of the long hallway.  
  
“Aaaaaahhh!!!...”  
  
“Oh my God!...what...” caught by surprise, he found himself engulfed in a cloud of yellow papers and stamps, before the various letters scattered around him on the wooden floor.  
  
“Rei..I mean,Ryugazaki-san?”  
  
Rei smoothed his black morning coat and pushed back his red glasses in all seriousness.  
  
“Hanamura-san, what's the meaning of this ambush?”  
  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.”  
  
Letting an irritated sigh, he looked down at the mixed and discarded letters puddling around their feet. He carefully squatted, so that dust wouldn't cling on his freshly ironed pants, and, followed by a blushed Hana, they started gathering the papers in swift motions.  
  
“What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing the lady's dinner?”  
  
“I..uhm..I was hiding...from...the rat...”  
  
Pausing momentarily, he scowled at her in disbelief.  
  
“A rat?”  
  
“Yes. Nagisa-kun says there's a rat in the kitchen.”  
  
“A rat...in _our_ kitchen, a rat...and you believed him...”  
  
He snatched the last envelop from her rosy hands and stood up, straightening his lean body.  
  
“I can't believe he continues that lame prank from last week. Hanamura-san, please refrain from falling for his jokes again, and return to the kitchen so that.... _where on earth are you taking that, Nitori-kun?!”  
  
_ A round, silver head popped behind a huge, unidentified plant. Rei's sudden shriek had made the poor boy stop dead in his tracks, his knees lightly shaking under the weight of the ceramic pot.  
  
“I...I'm sorry Ry-Ryugazaki-senpai!...So sorry! I'm just ta-taking this gift that came earlier today out to the backyard...”  
  
Rei bit his inner cheek, struggling to retain his temper. His gloved hand beckoned the boy to come closer, which the latter did after taking a few staggering steps.  
  
“Tell me Nitori-kun, are you the gardener?”  
  
His voice was almost dripping honey.  
  
“N-no.”  
  
“As what are you hired here?”  
  
“As the master's valet.”  
  
“And exactly which valet's duty requires you to carry pots around the mansion, sprinkling dirt on the floor?”  
  
“But Nagisa-chan said...”  
  
“Where is that blond fiend that has messed up the whole staff today anyway?!” Rei finally shouted exasperated, causing Nitori to sink within his collar.  
  
“He was around here ten minutes ago, not sure where he vanished now.” Hana chimed in, looking around the hallway with uncertainty.  
  
“He should be out watering the flowers, why no one is at their post today?” The proud butler muttered to himself before exchanging glances with his embarrassed subordinates. “Hanamura-san, in less than an hour it will be serving time for our lady's dinner, so please begin its preparation immediately. Nitori-kun, you should be polishing young-master's dressing shoes, in case he needs them tonight. And, dear Lord, put down that ugly pot.”  
  
“Yes, senpai!”

“Ooowwww!”  
  
An agonizing, muffled sound escaped Rei's lips. Crystal tears blotched the dark violet of his eyes and his cheeks blazed up as he stared at young Nitori in pain, who smiled awkwardly back, too scared to form a word.  
  
“What...what are you doing...”  
  
“You said to put the pot... down so I...”  
  
“Not here, you dimwit! And certainly not on my toes!”  
  
“Let me have a look at them, Ryugazaki-san. I've attended a nursing class at the local church.”  
  
“No, stop it, you both!” Rei took a couple of much needed, soothing breaths in. “I'm fine. Please, for now, let's all go back to our work.”  
  
The shrilling sound of the old doorbell reverberated through the mansion's ground floor, making all three of them jump at their spots, as if the button was hardwired to their brains. Rei cast a brief glance at the Victorian grandfather clock with the elaborate carvings that was rhythmically ticking the time at the other end of the corridor.  
  
“Weird, as far as I know, we aren't expecting anyone at this time. Nitori take these ” he shoved the pile of letters to the boy's chest “and leave them on the secretary in the small lounge, I shall archive them later. Now, please, both of you return to your duties.”  
  
Rei strode towards the main entrance, squaring his shoulders and stealing a second to inspect himself through the basalt mirror at the foyer, a treasure brought back from a trip to volcanic Iceland. However, his austere and ceremonious expression quickly crumbled into ashes the moment he opened the heavy, oaken door. Standing on the threshold, below the canopy crowned by streamers of climbing star jasmine, there was a dark haired man in his late teens. His clothes seemed old and of second hand; the edges of his brown vest were tattered and the coarse wool of his pants had been mended and darned on the knees several times. A pair of leather boots, weathered by mud and rain, and a newsboy cap were completing his humble attire. A burlap sack was draped over his shoulder. He had no coat.  
  
Rei didn't have to spare him a second glance.  
  
“We've already donated to the local charity this week, thank you.”  
  
The words were blurted faster than a bolt, and twice as fast Rei swung the door closed on the man's face. But before he dared a step away, the harsh doorbell jangled his nerves once again.  
  
“Listen, sir, I believe you're knocking on the wrong...”  
  
“My name's Nanase Haruka.”  
  
Rei blinked a couple of times.  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
Without explaining further, the young man stretched out his arm, urging the suspicious butler to accept the discoloured note within his hand. Rei took the creased paper and read it with caution. Soon, his eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
“A cook? You're the cook we were expecting?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“But you were supposed to arrive in two days from now. We weren't notified.”  
  
“I had no means to do that, sir. I've been traveling on foot since yesterday.”  
  
Rei let the image of someone walking a whole day just to reach the mansion register in his mind, while he observed this stranger with the Japanese name. His clothes were timeworn yet clean and his apathetic face didn't betray a man battered by journey and weather. If anything, his cold eyes reflected the icy blue of winter. Rei had serious doubts this man possessed any cooking skills.  
  
“You should have showed up at the service entrance. Staff isn't supposed to enter by the main door, not to mention dressed like that” he massaged his left temple, feeling already a migraine spreading.”Where is that brat of a gardener when you need him?”  
  
As if the Devil had just been summoned by name, golden strands of hair stood out of the blooming shrubs circling the stone fountain in the front yard. A second later, a short young man, with a face brighter than the meridian sun, emerged from the green.  
  
“Nagisa! Come here at once!”  
  
The youth called Nagisa wiped his forehead with the back of his palm, leaving a sooty smear in the process, before briskly scampering their way.  
  
“Hey, Rei-chan!”  
  
“Don't call me Rei-chan. Where have you been all this time?”  
  
“I was uprooting weeds in the garden. Why, what's wrong, Rei-chan?”  
  
“I just asked you to not call me that” he hissed through clenched teeth, while comically wiggling his eyebrows to point out Haruka's presence. Nagisa tactlessly eyed the newcomer from head to toe.  
  
“Why it matters in front of this guy? He's a laborer.”  
  
“Potentially, he's also our new cook.”  
  
“Ooooh...” Nagisa's lips shaped up into a playful circle “Nice to meet you then, mate, I'm Nagisa”  
  
Surprising Haruka, he grabbed his hand and cheerfully shook it, while a cordial smile sparkled on his cheeky face. If anything, the raven haired man looked slightly uncomfortable with the gesture.  
  
“ You two shall have time for the introductions later. Hurry up and lead him to the kitchen, and I shall inform the master of his arrival. I can't have him waiting at our doorstep while looking like a peasant. It's not beautiful.”  
  
Rei gave a gentle push on their backs, effectively guiding them down the marble steps of the porch. Haruka seemed to hesitate, but Nagisa's compelling enthusiasm pulled him by the wrist into the verdant garden. They followed a pebbled pathway gyrating around the main house. The sunlight, a rare premium in the English province, was warming up the hues of malachite on the leafages, though everything was still damp after the morning drizzle.  
  
“I think you're gonna like it here, mister...I didn't catch your name?”  
  
“Nanase Haruka”  
  
“Yes, as I was saying, you will be fine here, Haru-chan. Everyone in..”  
  
“Just Haruka.”  
  
“...the staff is friendly. Don't let Rei-chan fool you. He is a bit obsessed with order and elegance, but he's actually a sweetheart. Also, if you need anything, I'm your man. I do errands outside the house, run the stables, tend the vineyards, I'm basically a jack of all trades around the estate.”  
  
“I thought you were the gardener” Haruka remarked in a rather indifferent tone.  
  
“Well, I started here as a ground keeper when I was still a child, then moved to become the head gardener...but, lately, we've been lacking so much staff that each one of us had to take on more responsibilities. I'm not complaining though. In fact, if our cooking was any good, there would be no need for a chef. So you may thank our nightmarish culinary skills for your new job...Ah, here we are!”  
  
They ascended a small, wooden patio. Its white paint had faded and the planks under their feet squeaked lightly. There was a long, shabby bench next to the screen door, a lonely ashtray resting on its rough surface, overflown with cigarette butts and ashes; the countless, cherished breaks from the daily work reflected in its soot. However, the moment they stepped inside the kitchen, a female scream pierced their ears and thick, grey smoke began befogging their sight.  
  
“Oh my God! I can't believe I burnt the steaks again! Why is this stove giving me a hard time every day?!”  
  
In an instant, Haruka jumped by the girl's side, turning off the stove and helping her with the sizzling pan. Nagisa, on the other hand, was shaking his head in surrender.  
  
“See what I'm telling you...”  
  
Silent and unruffled, Haruka grabbed a kitchen knife and proceeded in deftly cutting and peeling off the charred parts of the tenderloin steaks. Hana was watching dumbfounded his lean fingers working with grace and ease on the burnt meat. Despite his efforts though, most of it had been reduced to carbon.  
  
“Is that all you have for dinner?”  
  
“Huh?...No...that was our lady's dinner...there's also some cold, potato leak soup from yesterday. I was going to heat it up and serve it as an escort, but now it has to be the main dish and its taste is just so bland.”  
  
“Where do you keep the seasonings and spices?” he abruptly cut her off.  
  
Hana pointed at the farmhouse styled cabinets above the sink, the second one in row. Various glass jars and sheer pouches rested on the shelves, containing an array of colours in powders and herbs. Haruka's eyes scanned them carefully for a minute, before returning to the central counter with a small jar and a couple of leaves in his hands.  
  
“Add the bay leaves and one spoonful of ground thyme while you are heating the soup up. Before you serve it, remove the leaves. I'll turn the gas stove on for you.”  
  
Hana stood there in absolute awe, her worries about the dinner long gone and replaced by one simple question; Just who this stranger before her was? As if reading the thoughts pulsating in her mind, Nagisa's lips curled up to a jaunty smirk.  
  
“Our food saviour.”  
  
Meanwhile, one floor above, in an antique furnished office that smelled of mahogany wood and brandy, the handsome face of a man with hair shining like wild cherries, was reflected on the translucent glass. An unforeseen heir to the grand estate, after his mother's second marriage, Matsuoka Rin was known for his impudent personality in his personal affairs, and stern outlook when it came down to serious business. His tendency to only hire help of Japanese origin had built him a disreputable name among many English locals. At the same time, his irresistible charm had always fueled him with allies when most needed, so that everyone surrounding him would agree that, if anything, Matsuoka Rin was a man of great passions; one would either loathe him or worship him. There was no middle ground.  
  
But that afternoon, as he was standing behind a window pane over-viewing the impressive front spread, with his hands casually shoved in his herringbone slacks, a light frown kept disrupting the harmony of his facial lines. An unusual yet absurd scene had caught his full attention, rendering him deaf to the deep , husky voice floating in the background.  
  
“Things don't look well in Europe. Nationalists seem to be on the rise everywhere. It's not just Germany or the police state of Italy anymore. There's a turmoil in Spain too, it seems a matter of time before the Republicans clash with General Franco's army.”  
  
The owner of the velvet, baritone voice was leaning back in a burgundy winged armchair , his homburg hat resting on the burnished brown desk beside him, his sapphire eyes browsing through the inky pages of the Daily Telegraph.  
  
“Back home there had been an attempted coup in late February, and even though it failed, the public unrest is still widespread in Tokyo. Meanwhile, the incidents against Chinese targets are succeeding one another. It seems that every corner of the earth smells of gunpowder.”  
  
When the news failed to evoke even the slightest stretch of Rin's shoulders, the man directed his gaze at his companion and folded the newspaper.  
  
“Have you even been listening to a word I'm saying?”  
  
“Nagisa just dragged some unknown drifter towards the back yard.”  
  
“Well...here I am talking to you about the whole world looking like a boiling cauldron, and you only seem to care about your staff's affairs.”  
  
“I have more troubles plaguing my mind, Sousuke.” Rin finally turned around with a sigh. He lazily approached a small bar cabinet, and filled in a glass of aromatic brandy. “In fact, my troubles are so many that the world's problems are not among my priorities. Not when our crops' sales remained low last year, and the possibility of bouncing back looks still a far-fetched dream.”  
  
“We are still facing the effects of the great depression. How do you think your sales will go if, on top of that, a new war breaks out?”  
  
“Relax, I'm not going to flip my head around the worst possible scenario all of a sudden. I have crucial matters to tend, and an important dinner with the Mikoshiba family to prepare for the weekend.”  
  
“Wait a second, Mikoshiba?” Sousuke's eyes widened in mild shock, as two familiar copperheads started materializing in his mind “This sounds more like a trap full of suitors for your sister.”  
  
“Well, this wouldn't be my exact choice of words.”  
  
“Rin, you can't be serious...” he stood up and took a few steps towards the mini bar, as if getting closer to his friend would unveil the joke hiding behind the startling news. “Why would you rush in giving her away as a wife to someone that won't be of her choice? Gou is not even eighteen yet.”  
  
“She will be soon enough. Besides, I won't be pressing her to do anything she doesn't want.”  
  
“How isn't this dinner a type of pressure? This far, you've been a raging watchdog around her, barking at any male who dares to step within range. So I don't know what to make out of this new plan of yours.”

Sidestepping him, Rin settled in his leather executive chair. For a moment, he rotated the glass in his hand, peering thoughtfully into its tawny hue, and when his eyes drifted back to Sousuke, they were shadowed with a darker red.  
  
“Make no mistake, Sousuke, it won't be without a cost for me. In order to keep her safe from spoiled jerks that would break her heart, I would marry her _myself_ if I could. But given our financial situation, I need to think of her future. Besides, that's not the only reason.”  
  
A small lump was burdening his throat. He swallowed.  
  
“Mother is not well. The last weeks, her health has deteriorated. I thought that, perhaps, spring-like weather would help her, but I was wrong. The doctors aren't confident anymore. And right now, if there's something that will brighten my mother's days, that's to see her daughter settled and happy.”  
  
“However, your mother also has a son...”  
  
Through his red bangs of fire, Rin squinted his eyes at the brunet.  
  
“Your point?”  
  
Sousuke exhaled lightly, already sensing the defensive vibe behind his friend's challenge. He perched on the edge of the mahogany desk right before Rin, and as his impressive stature hovered above the redhead, his voice assumed a sweeter and soothing tinge.  
  
“You're the older one and yet you never expressed any interest in marriage. Look, I'm saying this as your friend. People will eventually get suspicious and start gossiping.”  
  
“I don't know what you're talking about.”  
  
Rin cut him off and took a generous sip of his drink. It poured down his throat in a cascade of heated silk. Coming face to face with Rin's denial, an emotion so strong with deep roots weaving through the innocence of their childhood, Sousuke shook his head. It was not the appropriate time to untangle the ball of yarn that were Rin's unsolved insecurities. He knew that well. Still, an impetuous wedding in the Matsuoka family was a development he couldn't just overlook.  
  
“So basically, because you can't get married yourself to benefit the estate and follow your mother's wish, you're arranging such fate for your sister” Sousuke pressed on, changing to a harsh tone.  
  
“Options are up to her. Nevertheless, I am not going to let any rich brat or penniless officer brainwash her. So, I'm merely making sure said options are worth her time. But what put the bee in your bonnet all of a sudden?”  
  
Sousuke clenched his jaw at the invisible boundary rising before him. Retracting in his usual aloofness, he shrugged off his friend's question, but Rin had already his crimson orbs piercing through him with curiosity.  
  
“Sousuke, you've known Gou all her life. You are like a second brother to her, so if you think someone isn't suitable for her or you have any other worry I should know of, please do speak up. You have earned that right within this family.”  
  
This time, the brunet stared at him straight in the eyes, with a composed expression spread on his face like a sea vast and unlined.  
  
“Yes that's it. The worry of a brother when he's presented with such news out of the blue.”  
  
“Rest assured then, I am not going to force her to do anything. She will be free to choose.”  
  
“I'm just wondering what kind of freedom is that when someone else sets the choices.”  
  
At that moment, the office's sliding door was pushed wide open, causing the irritation hanging from Rin's pursed lips to transform into his infamous shark grin. Like a honeycomb-yellow ray of sunshine pouring through patches of cloud onto a gloomy meadow, Gou rushed into the austere-styled office. Waves of strawberry fragrance swarmed every corner of the room and her cerise ponytail flowed behind her, following the gentle swish of her floral gown. Pouncing on her brother's lap, she let her happiness drench him and, in response, Rin cradled her dearly in his arms.  
  
“Onii-chan! I'm so glad you're here!”  
  
“Hey, Gou. What's the rush?”  
  
She rested comfortably on his thigh and smoothed the folds of her dress. Only then did she lift an eyebrow, acknowledging Sousuke's presence, who had been standing there uptight since the moment her youthfulness barged in.  
  
“Good afternoon, Yamazaki-san.”  
  
“Gou.”  
  
Sousuke bowed lightly, sporting a look more reserved than usually. Rin's gaze bounced between his dear sister and his best friend like a ping-pong ball, before disapprovingly clicking his tongue.  
  
“What ' s with the stupid formalities? 'Yamazaki-san'? Really? Don't tell me you two still hold a grudge since the day he refused to give you a horse ride?”  
  
Gou stole a second glance at Sousuke, heedlessly chewing on her bottom lip. He seemed unfazed by Rin's scolding.  
  
“Well...nii-chan...maybe I overreacted...a bit...”  
  
“There's no 'maybe'. Start acting your age. That includes you too, big baby.”  
  
He planted a light kick on Sousuke's shin, eliciting a low growl from the taller male.  
  
“Now, what is it that you wanted? Your innocent smile can't trick me, I can tell you're here to ask for something.”  
  
Gou's slender fingers came to straighten his collar, circling with her index one the Bakelite buttons she found there. A playful spark twinkled in her crimson eyes, and Rin already knew he was a slave to her demand before she even mouthed it.  
  
“Today at school, during the music class, we were taught about this great composer, Chopin and his work. And later, during the gym class, I passed by the big hall we use for the school's events and Mrs Amakata was in there, playing the piano. Oh, onii-chan, it was so beautiful! I was carried away by Chopin's nocturnes, I forgot to return to the gym class. Those melodies were pure magic!”  
  
“I'm sure we have a vinyl record with his well known creations somewhere.”  
  
“But onii-chan! I don't want just to listen to them. I want to be able to play them myself.”  
  
“So you basically want to learn how to play the piano all of a sudden...”  
  
She beamed, nodding happily like a child that was just promised the best ride at a fun faire.  
  
“Gou, you'd need an actual piano first to practice...”  
  
“What about that old one we had found in the basement when we were kids? It's still there, we never got rid of it.”  
  
“Oh God, that one should have been turned into firewood long ago. It's so old, its keys are probably broken. It would also require someone to tune it up.”  
  
“I'm sure if I ask Mrs Amakata, she will suggest me a good tuner. Nothing that can't be fixed.”  
  
“You have an answer to everything, haven't you?” Rin sighed his defeat “What do you think about that, Sousuke? I know you enjoy music more than I do, even though you barely admit it.”  
  
The handsome brunet cleared his throat. But as he was about to respond, two steady knocks on the door claimed their attention. With his breath hitched, even more so when he realised his master wasn't alone, Rei excused himself and asked for Rin's prompt intervention as ' _the kitchen's beauty was in peril_ '; his choice of words. Even though clearly perplexed, Rin knew better than to ignore his own butler. Ryugazaki Rei wasn't the man to interrupt him over frivolous matters. Promising to be right back, he followed the sophisticated servant, leaving Gou and Sousuke to sink in unnerving silence. They both remained rooted to their spots and, suddenly, the art deco wallpaper across them looked unusually interesting. She was anxiously toying with the hem of her dress, while he kept clenching his fists by his sides , both of them inwardly counting the echoes of Rin's thumping footsteps down the hallway. And as soon as their sound faded away, it was Sousuke the first one to fail bearing that mute tension.  
  
“Seriously Gou, a horse ride? Are you mistaking your brother for an idiot?”  
  
She crossed her arms and puffed her chest up, subconsciously rivalling his intimidating figure.  
  
“Would you prefer it if I just told him the truth, then?”  
  
“Not when your version of the events is a far cry from the truth.”  
  
“There aren't many different ways to describe the stalking of a girl while she is bathing, you know.”  
  
Sousuke's thick eyebrows lowered in a heavy scowl.  
  
“For the last time, I wasn't stalking you.”  
  
“Spying then? You like this verb better?”  
  
“I had wandered off and got lost” he hissed through clenched teeth, admitting his poor sense of direction had always been a pain for him “I couldn't possibly know you were wading naked into the river.”  
  
“ A noble man, who accidentally becomes a witness of such scene, has the decency to leave as soon as possible. He doesn't stay there, bump onto me and find the perfect chance to grope me.”  
  
“You are twisting everything, I stumbled and I apologized for it, but I never laid a hand on you.”  
  
“Really? It must have been someone else's hand then,” she scoffed, without thinking for a second to back down, just like a proper Matsuoka. “But isn't this what most men would say, anyway?”  
  
That was the straw that broke the camel's back for Sousuke. He had never been a boaster like Rin, but his competitive pride wouldn't let him stomach the comparison to inferior men. Taking two steps closer, he invaded Gou's personal space. Startled by his sudden advance, she stood there like a pillar of salt.  
  
“You're taking me for a coward, aren't you?” He leaned down, letting his low-pitched voice become a caress to her ears. “You think that if I wanted to make a move on you, I wouldn't do it directly? Why? What would stop me?”  
  
He curled his fingers around a stray strand of her soft hair. His warm, moist breath billowed in a cloud between them, making every inch of her face tingle. Gou could feel her eyelids weighing down.  
  
“Don't do that...”  
  
He breathed out, inches away from her skin.  
  
“Don't do what?...”  
  
Hurried footsteps shattered the slackened time. With eyes wide and cheeks flustered, they jolted away from each other, as if they had just touched an electric fence and the high voltage cleaved through their bodies.  
  
“This could take me longer than I thought. There might be an addition to our staff, so I have to check the newcomer out.” Rin's red head popped around the door.  
  
“That's fine, onii-chan. I am going to keep mother some company while she's having her dinner.”  
  
Gou hopped over to his side and placed a feathery kiss on his cheek.  
  
“Don't forget my request!” She winked and Rin was left shaking his head, while she dashed down the hallway.  
  
“Oi, Sousuke, if you aren't in a hurry, wait for me at the lounge, will you?”  
  
“Yeah, in fact I'm in mood for some pool. I might break the rack while waiting.”  
  
Five minutes later, Rin was entering the bright kitchen with the rustic country look. The little ruckus, that was previously reverberating through the ground floor, ceased at once and everyone's head turned on the classy, young man. The acrid smell of something burnt and gone was skimming the air, but everything else looked perfectly fine.  
  
“I won't bother asking what was going on in here and why you all look like you were just caught with your hands in the cookie jar...”  
  
Rin spelled out slowly, while his canny eyes tip toed from one guilty face to another. Until they finally settled on the only one that looked serene and nonchalant, if not borderline uninterested in standing among them. Two big, azure eyes, resembling two clear drops of water that escaped the everlasting ocean, were fixed on him, and Rin could swear they were almost beckoning him to dive and drown in their infinity. He had to briefly avert is own.  
  
“He's the cook?”  
  
“Yes, Matsuoka-senpai. His name is Nanase Haruka.” Rei whispered next to him, before passing him the recommendation letter.  
  
Rin glanced again at the raven haired man, taking in his humble appearance. He looked about his own age.  
  
“I didn't expect you to be so young. In how many households you've worked so far?”  
  
“None, sir.”  
  
“None?” Rin sneered. “And what makes you think you'll fit in here then?”  
  
“My skills.”  
  
His voice was flat and steady, without the tiniest hint of arrogance. Its compelling undertone made Rin a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't confidence this guy was oozing, it was some kind of brute, deadpan honesty. Rin's focus changed to the typewritten letter in his hands. He frowned.  
  
“Here it says you've only worked in Rules before.”  
  
“That's right, sir.”  
  
The redhead chuckled visibly irritated.  
  
“You...working as a chef in London's oldest restaurant...Tell me, do I look like a fool?”  
  
“As one of their assistants. I never claimed I was the main chef.”  
  
This time, Rei didn't evade his master's deadly glance. He stammered awkwardly while Rin's inflamed eyes narrowed at him.  
  
“An assistant...”  
  
“Ma-Matsuoka senpai, his na-name was the only one sent when I called the agency for Japanese cooks. Besides, an assistant in Rules is...still an assistant in _Rules_ , right?”  
  
Shedding his sulky facade, Rin raked a hand through his scarlet mane.  
  
“I'm afraid we can't hire him. He clearly lacks in experience, plus I still have my doubts a place like Rules would allow anywhere near their kitchen someone who looks like a boor. Just hand this man his coat and escort him out.”  
  
“I don't have a coat, sir.”  
  
Rin arched a curious eyebrow. Even though they were sauntering in the heart of spring, the temperature had been low and the sun soaring during middays was as unfriendly as ever. No matter the season, the sharp English weather wasn't something to joke about.  
  
“You don't own a coat?”  
  
“That's not what I said. I owned one. But I don't have it anymore. I sold it.”  
  
“Very well. I'm not pretending to be a good Samaritan but...” Rin paused for a second “...Rei, give him some money and food, before leading...”  
  
“I sold it to get here, sir.”  
  
A sigh of sadness fled Hana's lips and she swiftly covered her mouth in mild embarrassment. Her eyes though mirrored the sympathy that had just coloured the surrounding faces. And even though Rin was an eccentric man loaded with flaws, being heartless wasn't one of them.  
  
“What do you mean?”

“I was staying at a hotel but I was running out of money, hence I had no choice but to travel here sooner than I was expected. I needed to pay for a train ticket, but my coat sold lower than I expected. So I had to continue my trip on foot.”  
  
“You could have just made a call here. Everyone knows us in town, they would tell you the number. We would have sent someone to pick you up, since you were expected.”  
  
“But I wasn't in the nearby town. I was in Canterbury.”  
  
Instantly, wrinkles of surprise sketched Rin's forehead. His lips parted, but his mind-blowing confusion was impossible to be shaped into words. And, soon, this startling emotion segued into awe; this man before him, this young bloke with the frayed clothes and the sky-blue eyes, had been walking all these miles for more than a day, just to reach his house and become his servant. Only the mighty Gods could brag for such compliments of devotion.  
  
“Haruka, right? Tell me a good reason to keep you.”  
  
“Senpai?”  
  
Rei turned towards him in question but the redhead raised his hand, signalling him to remain quiet. Someone who had covered all this distance in a pair of boots that was already coming apart at the seams, and without a coat to shield their body against the fierce midnight cold, surely deserved at least another chance.  
  
“I don't have much to tell you. I can show you though.”  
  
Instant delight enlivened Rin's face.  
  
“Show me then. Use whatever ingredient you find here and make a drink for me. You have ten minutes.”  
  
It was an unprecedented pleasure to witness Haruka in action. Fully committed to the cause, he quietly combed the entire kitchen. Every time he would find an ingredient he needed, prying pairs of eyes would follow him for a reaction; but his face would remain unreadable. Cranberry juice, star anise, ginger, brown sugar, cloves, regular grapes though he'd prefer red ones...eventually he formed a lineup of tastes and aromas on the wooden counter. Rather than a chef, he reminded of a painter, deft fingers working with grace on the culinary canvas. He stirred gently everything in a hot pan until the spices infused. The anticipation around him was growing, he could smell it on their uneven breaths, on the minuscule beads of sweat cooling their temples. In the end, he strained the mixture into a thick glass tumbler and, adding a cinnamon stick, he offered it to Rin.  
  
Hearts pounding, lips being chewed, hands anxiously being rubbed together ; everyone's focus was weighing on young Matsuoka's shoulders like an anvil. He stared at the bloody liquid for a mere second, before taking a cautious sip.  
  
His eyes shimmered.  
  
“This is...”  
  
_Incredible_ was the word he was seeking, but it was left wafting in the back of his mind.  
  
“Firepit steamer, this is how I call it.”  
  
At the sound of its creative name, Rin was triggered anew. He gulped down some more, letting the hot drink flare up his insides. It was spicy, yet fresh-tasting and Rin could picture it clearly now; late summer nights by the fire, chilly hands wrapped around a mug, gentle waves rocking against the steadfast shore, the dark ocean expanding till the end of the horizon.  
  
The ocean. Its waters. Those crystal eyes.  
  
Was the cocktail's overwhelming flavour the culprit, or could he be sinking in their iciness already? He couldn't honestly tell. But that wintry aquamarine had somehow invaded his senses along with the flames of the savoury juice. Those eyes were gradually making him numb to the core. It was a spell and he had been summoned by name. He could smell the sea, the wild kelp, the mysterious depths. He was there again. Frozen and yet alive. Alone and yet not quite. He was...  
  
“Senpai?...Matsuoka-senpai?...”  
  
Rin blinked a couple of times. He was still in the middle of the kitchen and everyone was looking at him expectedly. Staring down at the glass in his hand, he chuckled; it was empty. He met Haruka's beautiful face and the tip of his tongue swept any stray, sweet droplets off his upper lip.  
  
“Rest today, Haru. Rei will show you your room and fill you in regarding your work here.”  
  
Nagisa jumped triumphantly, while both Nitori and Hana clapped their hands, unable to hide their elation. Still puzzled by the sudden turn of events, Rei tailed after his young master, as the latter spun on his heel to leave.  
  
“Are you sure, senpai?”  
  
“One hundred percent. I'll be at the lounge if mother asks.”  
  
A faint smirk was dangling at the corner of Haruka's mouth. He had never been keen on expressing his emotions, but watching all these people - mere strangers to him thirty minutes ago – genuinely joyful over his stay, had strummed sensitive strings inside him he didn't know he possessed. And then, there was _him_ . There was Rin.  
  
“Well, you heard Matsuoka-senpai.” Rei showily steadied his red glasses and showered Haruka with a polished smile, completely aligned to his master's orders. “Now come with me if you please.”  
  
“Oi, Rei...” Rin emerged behind the stylish butler, causing him to comically lose his cool once again. “Uhm...there's some huge , ugly plant right in the middle of my corridor. Could you take care of it and make it vanish? Like, now?”  
  
Haruka ended up following the naughty gardener through the stately mansion and into the servants' quarters. Nagisa was a source of relentless chatter. In their short stroll through halls and passageways, he made sure to brief him on the various rumours floating around the house, as well as his unique preferences regarding his one true love; food. And even though Haruka dodged all the intrusive questions about his life and Japanese origins, that didn't discourage the devious teenager one bit.  
  
“This is Rei-chan's room. He likes to read till late, but most times he falls asleep with the lights on and his glasses ready to drop off his nose. I find it cute, he'll never admit that though....And this is where you'll be staying. Bed on the left is yours, the other one is for our chauffeur. He only sleeps here when he must though, since he has a family down at the village...Ai-chan and I are at the end of the corridor, room on the left. So if you need anything...though tonight I might be staying in town. Gotta buy some garden supplies, I don't think I'll catch the last train back on time...Oh shit, in fact I should be leaving soon!”  
  
The room was plain, with a low ceiling and unvarnished furniture. A basic, clean shelter for the night, just as he liked it. He found a new change of clothes waiting for him on the white, cotton sheets. For the next hours, Haruka would soak in a tin bathtub, letting the cold water wash the day's traces away and rejuvenate his soul.  
  
When the midnight stillness befell, it found him sprawled on the bed and motionless like a log. His gaze, a cobalt lagoon hibernating in darkness, was permanently transfixed on the ceiling. For the past hour, the sea was swelling on its drab surface. Waves were grinding against reefs, sending their ripples to all four corners of the room. And somehow, among those fond memories of the ocean, red threads would weave through uninvited, like unruly strands of hair, and dye the ceiling scarlet. His chronic insomnia had been blessed with new ghosts to haunt him. Because the scene of a certain, velvet tongue licking the last droplets of his cranberry juice, kept undulating on the sea's facade. Because he couldn't hear his full name anymore, but instead his thoughts whispered _Haru_ .  
  
Such was the harrowing silence beyond him, that when a low shuffle reached his ears, he mistook it for a figment of his imagination. But then light thumps followed, and Haruka was sure these were footsteps coming from the narrow hallway. Dragging his body to the wooden door, he leaned close to a jagged crack and peeped outside.  
  
That was when he saw him. His body clad in a long, dark robe, the flickering flame of his candle stirring the shadows on the wall beside him; Rin Matsuoka was secretly sneaking in those lowly quarters.  
  
In an instant, Haruka's mouth was drying up like a desert.  
  
The redhead quietly passed outside his chamber and continued down the hallway. Pausing in front of another room, he gently knocked two times, waited a few seconds and then knocked once more. Soon, the old door opened with a low, creaking sound.  
  
“ _Ai-chan and I are at the end of the corridor, room on the left...though tonight I might be staying in town.”  
  
_ Suddenly, Haruka could not swallow anymore. His eyes widened and his thoughts kept galloping like male steeds on a racetrack. And it was as if Rin had just heard his screaming mind, because he hesitated and turned his head towards his own closed door. Two lethal, crimson eyes hovered above the amber candlelight and mercilessly pierced him through layers of shadow and wood. For a moment, Haruka felt helpless like a shark's prey. But then Rin averted his gaze and entered the room, immersing the world outside of it once again into darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. Chapter 2 is up.


	2. The time of the Hunter

**  
  
  
  
  
  
2  
  
The time of the Hunter  
**

  
  
In the dream, he was someone else. Squatting alone in a corner, he was surrounded by ebony shadows, ominously pacing before his crouched body. Something silver and cold was hanging by his neck, and in his mind he treasured it as his only possession in a surreal world full of strangers.  
  
The feeling of loneliness was suffocating.  
  
Stranded and dishevelled, he was covering his ears with his small hands, trying to isolate himself as much as possible from the medley of foreign voices and shady figures heaving around him. Until a pink brushstroke materialized before his sight. He couldn't distinguish what it was exactly. A paper or a gem... _a flower_ maybe? But someone had granted him a gift and it was now his. This much he knew.  
  
The scenery shifted.  
  
There was a ladder leading onto a truck. He was ascending higher. And higher. Everything around was dingy and grey. A monotonous cry was escorting him like a mournful melody in the background. At points, the weeping was so powerful, that it rose like an uproar above the clouds. And there was smoke. So much smoke, he could barely see, as he was shoved and dragged like a rag-doll.  
  
_“Stand here, son. We must take a photo.”  
  
_ And then he was drowning. The unwelcoming water was swallowing him, the tempest was baring its fangs to him. Deeper and deeper. Devoured by icy blackness , surrendered to a hopeless Fate, until something eerie twinkled before his eyes. Something metallic and silver.  
  
_“Dad? Dad!”  
  
_ Rin jolted from his sleep, sweating profusely. It felt as if an imaginary boulder hauling the world's sorrow had settled on his chest, weighing it down. He wiped his brow and rubbed his eyes, in a vain attempt to chase away the nightmarish images that were dwelling behind his eyelids. He was certain that dreadful feeling of drowning was the remaining scrap of that tempestuous night over a decade ago. But he could not fathom what the rest mystifying memories were. If anything, they didn't even feel like his own.  
  
Nevertheless, the thought of his late father had once again followed him during his rise from the dreamland. After all those years, it would still creep out and depress him like nothing else. There was a hole in his life he had never managed to cement up. Lately, the nightmares had become more frequent. But, against all odds, he had discovered a new balsam to mend his heart and cast off his overgrowing anxiety. The same one he was determined to use again tonight.  
  
He sneaked out of the mansion from a narrow door leading to the back yard. The night was unusually warm for late May, and the sound of crickets, a tune quite rare in England, was harmoniously embellishing the nocturnal tranquillity. He found his old bicycle where he always left it, leaning next to Gou's one against the garage's brick wall. They were identical, only Gou's bicycle had a pink wicker basket attached to the front and the fenders of his own were slightly dented. He hopped on the hard saddle and pedalled off.  
  
The estate was bordering on a verdant grove engulfing a small lake. Tall cedars were edging its shore, casting a lacy fringe of shadow on its aquamarine during the day. And when the nightsky was clear, the stars were lustrous pebbles floating on its placid surface. Rin left his bicycle beneath the shelter of an aged tree and followed the same trail he had been using the last two months. He stealthily crawled through the leafages and brushwood, until he reached the top of a small mound over-viewing the northern bank.  
  
His heart stood still. For there he was, gliding like a Naiad on the lake's moonlit visage, the man that kept stirring his adrenaline while awake , and making his heart erratic in his sleep; _Haru_.  
  
Because, ever since Haruka's arrival in late March, the professional relationship between them, as well as the cohabitation overall, hadn't been exactly smooth. Unlike the rest of the staff, Haruka had been quite a challenge to handle. He maintained his own pace and methods in dealing with issues around the household and, most of the time, he remained distant and impossible to decipher. But, most importantly, he seemed untouched by Rin's daily whims and, more often than not, he had stubbornly disregarded his orders. Twice already, on the peak of his anger, the redhead had considered firing him. But in the next moment, he would miserably lower his head defeated, letting that thought perish along with his crumbled ego. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't let Haru go. He was being drawn to that boy's enigmatic charisma like an iron ingot attracted to a magnet. The fact that someone within his direct environment was so naturally opposing to him, without triggering fights or having ulterior motives, was a mystery he needed to decode. Haruka's apathy was tirelessly fuelling the greedy desire within him to subdue this tenacious servant, to evoke unprecedented emotions on his expressionless face.  
  
And then there were his eyes. Cobalt and serene, their magical aura had hexed him into hankering after them in order to release his stress. They were an endless, calm sea and he was the castaway waiting to sail off his deserted island. In the past two months, whenever Haruka finished early his duties as the family's chef, he would steal some relaxing moments diving into the lake's embrace. So when Rin discovered these late night ventures, he didn't hesitate at all; he started tailing after him.  
  
Just like he had done tonight. Haruka was sliding across the sparkling waters with grace, his hands gently slapping the sleek surface. Occasionally, he would let the lake consume him, until his presence was nothing but fading ripples, before the beryl facade turned glossy and unwrinkled again. And then, in a random moment that churned the stillness, he would emerge like a dolphin from the darkness' depths, to steal a breath and continue his delicate drifting.  
  
He was a sight that had leapt out of fairy tales. And Rin could not withhold the strain in his pants.  
  
Soon, the dark haired man swam to the filigree shore, and spread his naked body next to a neatly folded pile of clothes. He shut his eyes and surrendered to the sweet nursing of the elements.This unblemished picture of him in nothing but his birth suit, leisurely bathing in the moonlight, condemned Rin's mind into a gradual haze. On its own accord, his hand unzipped his trousers and slid past his undergarments' layers. His flesh was burning already. Haruka's lean body was a temptation showered in night's sheen. It was hard to believe it belonged to a chef, rather than a professional swimmer. Pellucid drops were trickling down the firm hills of his muscles, leaving shiny trails on his velvety skin. The heaving of his chest was making his toned pectorals twitch and his abdominals undulated enticingly, following the steady rhythm of his breathing.  
  
Every oxygen intake was a harder stroke on Rin's manhood.  
  
A harsh squawk soared in the sky. A raven flapped rapidly its wings, leaving behind a small cluster of gnarled trees. It was merely a dissonant note in the nocturnal serenade, but it caused Haruka's eyes to shoot open. Within minutes, he was back into the sterling waters, swimming towards the opposite lakeside.  
  
“Damn it.”  
  
Rin cursed his luck. He instantly stopped his motions, confused by his own feelings and embarrassed that he had degenerated into a common stalker. A self-centered _hunter_. Yet his private parts were throbbing, fervently demanding the release they had just been deprived of. His glazed, crimson eyes strayed towards the grand mansion, that was still visible into the darkened background, and a soothing thought flickered in his mind. He knew who could give him a hand.

  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
  
Through the netting of emerald leaves, the midday sun looked like a flying shuttle weaving its unwearied journey. Those days were the last gusts of spring breeze, before the dawning of a glorious summer. Nature was cloaked in harmony and everything around was blissful and quiet. Except the Matsuoka great house, where currently a small-scale commotion was taking place.  
  
“Bring it a bit to the left.”  
  
“We can't bring it to the left, Rei-chan, it won't fit through.”  
  
“For the last time, don't call me... dear Lord, watch out the bohemian vase!”  
  
“Ooops! That was close Rei-chan, wasn't it?”  
  
“Could we get this done already? I have two more instruments for delivery in my van.”  
  
“You heard the man, don't waste more time, Rei-cha...sama?”  
  
“Who's the one wasting time?!!”  
  
Despite the main door, as well as the interior ones, being wide open, the transport of a thirty years old, spade-leg grand piano was anything but a piece of cake. Unlike the “Apartment size” baby grand pianos that had become popular during the last decade, those earlier grand pianos were larger, still radiating the grandeur of the Victorian era. Though, the courier guy, would always recall later the ludicrous experience he had during this specific delivery.  
  
“Ryugazaki-senpai, I don't think I can carry this any longer...my knees are hurting.”  
  
“Very well, Nitori-kun. Just leave it to me and please go check in how much time the dinner will be ready.”  
  
“Woo! Rei-chan to the rescue! Now you'll see why I told you we should have brought the tail first in.”  
  
“It's cause you're wobbling all the time, try and keep it steady.”  
  
“Wobbling? No I'm not. We should just carry it out and re-enter.”  
  
“Yes you are, watch the vase!”  
  
“No I...Whoah! Look Rei-chan, a pretty butterfly just landed on top of the music rack!”  
  
“What are you...oh my! Such a beautiful Old world Swallowtail! Its scientific name is papilio machaon gorganus, these splendid creatures are rare migrants from...”  
  
“Seriously, you two, people in this house are actually paying you?”  
  
When Nitori entered the kitchen, the smell of fried mackerel paired up with rich tomato sauce and fresh rock samphire, titillated his nostrils. Haruka was standing above the gas stove, lazily turning the fish fillets with a wooden spatula. The silver haired boy wet his lips before speaking.  
  
“Ryugazaki-senpai is asking when the dinner will be ready?”  
  
“In about twenty minutes.”  
  
The response came sharp and spiritless. Haruka didn't even flinch, he just kept his back towards him. The atmosphere felt unwelcoming to the young valet, who nervously twisted his fingers together.  
  
“Ha-Haruka senpai, do you...do you dislike me?”  
  
This time Haruka slowly turned his head towards the boy. Round, melancholic eyes were gazing back at him in horror, as Nitori was already regretting the words he had let slip past his lips.  
  
“Ever since you came...you often stare at me for...for no reason and...I thought perhaps...oh I am sorry, please forget what I said...”  
  
“There's enough time for a short break till the dinner is served. Join me if you want.”  
  
Nitori was left dumbfounded, as Haruka pushed the screen door and got out on the wooden patio. He hesitated a bit, as sudden happiness flitted like a tiny sparrow in his heart, and eventually tailed after the chef like a confused puppy. They sat together on the shabby bench and Haruka offered him one of his hand-rolled cigarettes. As soon as he took a couple of drags off it, he started choking in cough.  
  
“Hey, easy there.”  
  
“Sorry, it's just been a while since I had my last one. I'll be okay after a few puffs.”  
  
That was when Haruka first noticed the scars around his wrists. Red marks were blemishing his pale skin, as if his hands had been tied long enough for the straps to groove his tender flesh.  
  
“Where did you get those?”  
  
Nitori shifted uncomfortably on the bench and pulled further down his sleeves.  
  
“Ah, it's cause the water well pump in the orchard broke down. I had to use a rope and a bucket instead, I guess I tied the rope around my wrists a bit more tightly than I should. They'll be fine by tomorrow.”  
  
The next minutes coursed sluggishly through time. Haruka seemed to revel in the noontide calmness, but his silence was deepening Nitori's uneasiness. Suddenly, the raven haired man stubbed his cigarette out in the usual ashtray and when he spoke , perhaps it was Nitori's imagination, but his voice was coloured with a rare tinge of kindness.  
  
“You know, when you don't like something, it's okay to say 'no' “  
  
The, not so far-off, clatter of horses' hooves reached their ears.  
  
“They are back already. Let's get inside.”  
  
Rin and Sousuke rode into the Matsuoka gardens on their proud stallions. One blood bay, one pure black, the lean-limbed horses pranced the last meters to the stables, their well-brushed manes glistening under the saffron beams of the sun. Dressed in tweed jackets, spacious knickerbockers and brown knee high boots, the young men had just returned from their hunting adventure, bearing the spoils of the hunt, along with their loyal rifles. They dismounted and led the beautiful steeds into their stalls.  
  
“Well that was fun, I missed going on waterfowl hunting with you in the mornings.”  
  
“You were in London for more than a month now, Sousuke. If you aren't in a hurry to go back, maybe we can arrange it again soon.”  
  
“Yeah, time flew by so fast, I barely realised it...hey, there's a lorry parked at your front yard.”  
  
“Ah, they must be from the musical instruments store. We had sent the piano that old geezer used to keep in the basement, for repair. They were supposed to deliver it today.”  
  
Sousuke smiled softly.  
  
“So she totally coaxed you to let her start piano lessons. Will she be attending a music school in Maidstone or Canterbury?”  
  
“In none. I'm bringing a Japanese teacher at home, it's already set.”  
  
“Oh...” Sousuke tied the horse's reins into an iron loop and hawed “...the teacher...is it...”  
  
“It's a _she,_ obviously _._ ” Rin sneered, reading his friend's thought “Come on, Sousuke, as if you don't know me already. Her name was sent to us, along with a brief CV. She is quite young, but her studies in piano are admirable. Plus, I figured a woman close to her age, would be a good company for Gou. All the time, she is mostly surrounded by males. ”  
  
“Since you mention it, what happened to that plan of yours that involved various beaus parading in the estate, with Gou being the ultimate trophy?” Sousuke teased, trying to mask the woodworm of concern that had been gnawing his mind.  
  
“Oi, now you're being an asshole.” Rin used the trademark of their friendship; a light kick on Sousuke's shin. “If you remember, I postponed the dinner since the elder Mikoshiba had to leave on an urgent business trip. But he's back now and I should invite them one of the following weekends, because he will be travelling again, this time with the whole family, to Germany in about two months for the summer Olympics.”  
  
“Ah, right, they are held in Berlin this August. Their Reich chancellor had opposed to Jews participating in the Games, but several nations had threatened to boycott them. We live in nasty times.”  
  
They ascended the mottled marble steps of the porch. But, as soon as they passed through the open door, Rin found himself diving into the air in order to catch a bohemian vase, before it met its doom on the ceramic encaustic floor.  
  
“Matsuoka-senpai! I'm so terribly sorry for this!”  
  
“Me too, Rin-chan!”  
  
“It's the third time we are trying to bring this inside.”  
  
“Ne ne, don't glare at me Rei-chan! It's not my fault.”  
  
“Sir, please, are you the landlord?”  
  
Rin steadied the pot back on its tripodal base. The expression on the courier's face was that of desperate surrender and the redhead almost felt sorry for him. Suppressing a giggle, he reassured them that he was going to stay and guide them through if needed.  
  
“Rin, I'm going to have a quick bath cause I reek blood and dirt.”  
  
“Sure, I'll do that later too. I'll finish here first and leave these in the kitchen.” Rin brandished the pheasants and partridges hanging by his hook. “Oi, wait...The taps in the guest room aren't working properly, use the bathroom in my chamber instead.”  
  
Sousuke gave him the thumbs up, as he climbed the curved staircase. A Persian carpet was covering most of the second floor, causing the feet to sink in its luxurious, thick pile with every step. But as he was passing by the row of bedrooms, a dulcet humming fluttered in the hallway. The soft, airy voice was coming from Gou's room and Sousuke was startled, because he expected her to still be at school. Her door was ajar and he couldn't suppress the overpowering impulse to peek inside.  
  
In an instant, the air abandoned his lungs.  
  
Sheathed in a flimsy chemise, Gou was gently brushing her long hair, a silken, burgundy veil across one shoulder. Luscious, female curves were rising and falling with every breath, and plains of alabaster skin glowed under the sunshine sauntering in from her open window. Lifting a bare leg, she slowly rolled up a rosy, lacy stocking , exposing the velvet top of her thighs in the process.  
  
Sousuke's knuckles turned white around the knob. He lingered in the entrance, sapphire eyes bedimmed, sweat pooling at the base of his nape. He was falling in a downward spiral, becoming the man she was accusing him to be; a creepy stalker. An unrepentant _hunter_. Somehow, he was once again crawling through the marsh to track down his prey. When Gou rose from her vanity desk with a pair of peach rayon panties dangling from her hand, indicating her nakedness underneath her lingerie, Sousuke decided he had tortured himself enough. He needed to get away from there, before she sensed his unlawful presence. Staggering backwards, he turned on his heel and headed to Rin's bedroom as fast and as noiselessly as he could.  
  
The cold water did wonders on his inflamed body. He could see his inner heat steaming out of his pores, saturated with primal instincts and forbidden fantasies. Relaxed and composed once again, he was now standing in the middle of the bathroom, ready to get dressed and join Rin downstairs.  
  
“Onii-chan, you came back!”  
  
Time froze. The door had just been flung open and Gou was standing petrified before him, a goggle-eyed and beet-red victim of his immaculate form.  
  
“Wha...what are you doing here?!”  
  
She immediately turned her back to him, disguising her embarrassment with anger. And perhaps he would have been more flustered than she was, had she not shown her weakness. Sousuke smirked.  
  
“Bathing, if it wasn't obvious already.”  
  
“This...this is my brother's private chamber. I had no idea you were here.”  
  
“Mhm, so let's ignore the fact you stormed in without knocking while thinking I was your naked brother.”  
  
Sousuke wrapped a clean towel around his waist.  
  
“There, you are safe to turn around now.”  
  
She cast a suspicious glance over her shoulder before facing him. That narrow piece of cotton hanging low around his hips, was doing nothing to lull the carnal thirst building behind her crimson jewels. Free from his austere outfits and with tiny droplets dribbling from his soaked, dark hair onto his brawny torso, Sousuke was godlike.  
  
“Where's my brother?”  
  
Distraction...distraction...distraction...  
  
“Downstairs.”  
  
“He didn't tell...what..what are you...doing?...” she faltered when he approached her without a warning. Stretching above her small frame, he leered and closed the door behind her. Distraction had failed.  
  
“It was starting to get chilly in here. I'm still naked.”  
  
“You can always put something on, you know.”  
  
“Well I was about to, but then you decided to surprise me.”  
  
He turned away from her to seek his clothes, granting her with the view of an endless, robust backside. Such a fine specimen he was. Gou chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip, trying to measure her next words.  
  
“Rin never told me you were back from London already.”  
  
“That's cause I only returned yesterday.”  
  
“You never said you'd be gone for so long....never called either...”  
  
Putting his hands on his waist, Sousuke exhaled. His gaze was fixed on an invisible spot on the tiled floor.  
  
“You know well why I left, Gou...Being here with you, while you acted all offended day after day, was becoming unbearable...It was for the better.”  
  
A tint of guilt had coloured her life the last two months, she couldn't deny that. But now he was making it seem as if it had been completely her fault, as if he had been the victim of her unfounded panic, when she had been the one to feel completely exposed and vulnerable to his advance. And as a general principle for a Matsuoka, offence was definitely the best defence.  
  
“I don't see how vanishing from my sight would help me forget what you did.”  
  
Sousuke shook his head disappointed.  
  
“You're still at it, I see...”

“Can you blame me? And could you dress already?”  
  
“No one's keeping you Gou, you could have left instead of staying here and ogling.”  
  
Her jaw dropped at the flat insult.  
  
“Ogling? You know well I had no idea you were here, I accidentally ran into you at this indecent state!”  
  
“Really? I remember when I kept saying the same thing, all my explanations were turned down as if they meant nothing.”  
  
“How dare you saying it's the same thing? You don't have hands all over your body like I had!”  
  
In two decisive strides, Sousuke was towering her. Stunned, she had to back against the door, snared between the hard wood and his even harder chest. Her crimson met his sapphire, and she gulped at the sight of his shimmering stardust floating so close to her, beckoning her to melt into this hue of fairy tales.  
  
“Let me go...”  
  
He disregarded her weak whisper and took her delicate hand into his large palm. Slowly but steadily, he led it on his rock-like chest and trapped it above his heart. Gou shivered at the contact. His body was a restless pump of warmth, she could feel it braiding with her fingers and surging into her. He gently guided her lower, letting her fondle every solid muscle, taste every inch of satin, tanned skin. Exploring a man's body was a new experience to her, as she was trying to register every sturdy ripple and smooth curve in the map of her mind. Her other hand had joined the game and they were moving on their own now, without Sousuke's help, cruising southwards into a territory dangerous and uncharted. He had leaned in, nuzzling the scarlet torrent of her hair and inhaling the sweet fragrance flowing through her soft locks. Eventually, her fingers grazed the fluffy edge of his towel. A single strip of dark, pubic hair was disappearing below the offending barrier, and Gou bit her lip at the thought of it discarded around their feet.  
  
But as she was about to loosen the restraints, an unyielding grip on her wrists put an abrupt end to her scandalous tour. Sousuke's mouth hovered close to the shell of her ear and his voice turned suddenly brusque and serious.  
  
“There, now we're even.”  
  
Jarred out of her daze, Gou forcefully shoved him away. Angry with her own self and too ashamed to meet his turquoise gaze, she rushed out of the bathroom without looking back.  
  
Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Rin had just finished putting the chaos in his house in order. Or at least so he thought. Finally entering the kitchen, he found Haruka preoccupied with cutting fresh lettuce and rocket for the salad. The remote chef was alone, just like Rin had secretly hoped for.  
  
“It's been a generous day for game.”  
  
Haruka took a glimpse of the wild fowls that Rin was showing off as the most precious prize, and nodded nonchalantly, before focusing again on the chopping board in front of him. But the redhead couldn't get easily discouraged. He circled the central counter and came to a halt right behind the raven haired youth. Leaning provocatively on his back, he stretched an arm and dropped the game in the sink beside them.  
  
“Why don't you prepare these for dinner?”  
  
“There's already enough food for dinner.”  
  
Rin snorted unimpressed.  
  
“Yeah, mackerel. I've noticed you like this rubbish for some reason. How banal.”  
  
The monotonous tapping of Haruka's knife, as it hit the wood slicing through the vegetables, carried on unruffled. It had never been a piece of cake to bait him. But if his audacious mouth couldn't do the trick, Rin figured his well-toned body had better chances. He put a hand on the counter by Haruka's side, and casually pressed his hips forward, against his rear.  
  
This time, Haruka lost his rhythm.  
  
Sensing the body before him growing stiff, Rin suppressed a giggle and lightly rolled his pelvis once more.  
  
“Stop it.”  
  
“Hmm? Stop what, Haru? I just wanted a taste from this grassy salad, since you dismissed my orders for dinner yet again.”  
  
He picked a small leaf of lettuce and started nibbling it. Though Rin was obliviously playing with scorching fire, because Haruka angled his neck and , instantly, the distance between their faces evaporated like smoke. Haruka's ocean filled eyes followed the seductive motion of Rin's mouth, before drifting upwards to meet the latter's bloody red. Immense and adamant, his eyes were puncturing through Rin's reckless facade, with the same ease and expertise he was using his knife.  
  
And, suddenly, it was night all over again. Nature was sleeping peacefully, but down at the lake, the nymphs were chasing the moon across its argent-forged surface. Only this time Rin was so mesmerized, that, instead, the prey had successfully cornered the hunter.  
  
“I know what you've been doing at nights, Haru.”  
  
His index finger traced Haruka's jawline. And perhaps he would have dared the next step, if the young man hadn't stared back at him coldly and said:  
  
“I know what you've been doing at nights too.”  
  
Rin's features merged into a menacing glower, bewildered as he stood, imaginary roots and thorns binding his feet to the ground. Who was this man that was digging up his secrets? Who was this stranger that interfered with his life?  
  
“Ahem...”  
  
A mere cough and that was it. The spell was shattered, the lake vanished. Sousuke was standing at the door, a heavy scowl smudging his beautiful face, as his eyes wavered between the two of them. Rin broke away from Haruka, carding his fingers through his tousled hair. And as he was searching for the right words to justify the questioning scene his best friend had just chanced upon, Haruka kept holding Sousuke's glare without budging.  
  
Right then, a loud crash came from the main hall. If there was a God up there, he surely loved Rin.  
  
“What on earth, are they bringing down my house?”  
  
Forgetting everything else, Rin and Sousuke hurried towards the source of the fuss. Countless fragments of iridescent glass were painting the floor in the colours of the rainbow, minuscule memories of a tall sculpture that used to decorate the big hall.  
  
“See, I knew it was a bad idea. How many times did I say 'do not move the piano again' “?  
  
“Oi oi, Rei-chan, I was trying to help.”  
  
“I'm so sorry Ryugazaki-san! This mess is my fault, I just wanted to clean a bit.”  
  
“Well there's plenty of cleaning to do now, Hana-chan!”  
  
“That's not very nice to say, Nagisa-senpai.”  
  
“Aww, cheer up, Ai-chan, it was just a big chunk of glass.”  
  
“If only Rin-senpai could hear you...you...penguin of endless problems! This sculpture was so beautiful, a true work of art!”  
  
Leaning against a wall right outside the grand hall, several steps away from them, Rin was massaging his forehead. This fellowship would drive him crazy one day, he was certain of it.  
  
“Excuse me, dear gentlemen, but the front door was open. I'm looking for Mr. Matsuoka Rin?”  
  
A tall, young stranger was standing at the threshold. His hazel bangs reflected vast fields of straws during the days of harvest, and a well-built body was sketched beneath his thin, hand-knit sweater and well-ironed trousers. Rin and Sousuke exchanged glances surprised.  
  
“That would be me. How can I help you, sir?”  
  
The man's face was instantly lit up with a bright smile.  
  
“My name's Tachibana Makoto, sir. I'm the piano teacher.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. Chapter 3 is up!


	3. The Piano Teacher

**  
  
3  
  
  
The Piano Teacher**

* * *

  
  
  
There was a comically tense atmosphere in the office, as Rin's eyes kept dubiously bouncing between the green file in his hands and the preppy young man sitting across him. Next to him, Sousuke, looked even less amused, arms folded on his chest level and bodyguard aura oozing from his nostrils. Meanwhile, seated with his hands crossed on his lap before this unexpected Inquisition, Tachibana Makoto was smiling awkwardly, like an unsuspecting bait thrown in a sea of sharks. But somehow, with every suspicious glare at him, his face turned even brighter, making Rin fluster and scan the file even more thoroughly for a potential blemish.  
  
“Mr Matsuoka, if my name is somehow the problem...”  
  
“Excuse me?”

Rin was practically peeking over the large, paper folder now, inwardly cursing the moment he agreed to his sister's whims.  
  
“I can't help but notice my CV has caught your attention and I'm well aware that, sometimes, my name may cause confusion and misunderstandings” Makoto elaborated in the most gentle voice “It's been like this since my childhood, so I'm used to it. I just hope this is not the case with...”  
  
“No no...” his own voice came out like a rushed squawk and he had to pretentiously cough to clear his throat. “ Nothing confusing about your name, Tachibana. It's just a very interesting CV.”  
  
A stifled snort escaped Sousuke and , behind his sharp, sardonic grin, Rin was already practicing a hundred ways of strangling him.  
  
“Despite your age, you studied near prominent pianists in London...”  
  
“It has been a blessing for me, sir.”  
  
“...and you're pretty humble about that. According to these papers, you spent your childhood in Cornwall?”  
  
“Yes, that's correct. My family still resides in a pretty, coastal town down there.”  
  
“Ah, but Kent is quite far from Cornwall, surely working somewhere closer to your family would be more suitable for you? You see, I expect my sister's instructors to be available at short notice and certainly not have to disappear for long periods.”  
  
“That won't be a problem at all, sir. I've recently rented an apartment in the nearby town, here in Kent, as I have two more students in the greater region. Besides, I've been living on my own for the past three years, without that causing trouble in my family. I make sure to visit them whenever my job permits it, our bonds are quite strong.”  
  
A courteous, family oriented man. That was the last person Rin needed tailing after Gou's skirt right now.  
  
“Here it says that swimming is among your hobbies?”  
  
“Blame the Cornish summer, mr Matsuoka.”  
  
A courteous, family oriented swimmer. He could practically picture his sister idolizing this man and gawking at his muscles already.  
  
“I am going to be straightforward with you, Tachibana. Your wage will be roughly one shilling per hour. Also, transport costs from and back to the town, will fall solely on you. Delays, cancellations and lack of progress when it comes to your work here, will reflect on your payment. And another thing. Music is not important to me. But my sister's happiness is. So let me put it this way; I expect a smile on her face every time your class ends. In other words, if you are not...”  
  
“I'm fine with all these conditions, sir.”  
  
That definitely wasn't the answer Rin was aiming for. His grin slightly faltered and his grasp tightened around the green binder.  
  
“Did you really listen to everything I just said?”  
  
Makoto's face was bathed in a calming sensation.  
  
“Every single word. I understand the restrictions regarding my salary, England is only now starting to recover from the crisis. As for your sister, rest assured, I have younger siblings as well so I can relate to the protective feeling.”  
  
When Rin sensed Sousuke's irritation stabbing him out of the corner of his eye for the umpteenth time, he decided he had to purge his own guilty conscience somehow. Standing up, he spurted an apology to the hazel-haired teacher and, grabbing the sulky whale-shark by his arm, he dragged him to a corner a few steps away.  
  
“Look, stop doing that” Rin quietly seethed through gritted teeth, while stealing glances at Makoto. “I can tell what you've been thinking, but how the hell should I know the teacher was a man? The letter said 'Tachibana Makoto', anyone would assume that's a freaking name for a female!”  
  
“Yeah, as if your own name hasn't been an indication all these years. Perhaps you should have thought of that and, I don't know, take a wild guess?”  
  
“Watch it, Sousuke. I _am_ trying to discourage him, as you noticed.”  
  
“And it's working smoothly so far...”  
  
“I swear to God, you're lucky we aren't alone in here.”  
  
While the situation inside the stately home office was turning rather complicated, outside its heavy, timbered door, curiosity was running rampant. With his knees bent and his breathing hushed, Nagisa was glued on the keyhole, trying to distinguish faces and feed his natural desire for gossip. Right beside him, Gou had placed her ear on the burnished wood as soundlessly as possible, in an attempt to eavesdrop on the meeting her caprice had triggered.  
  
“Nagisa-kun! This is completely inappropriate!”  
  
The low snarl behind their backs almost caused them to lose their balance.  
  
“Jeez, Rei-chan...Say it a bit louder and we might indeed get in trouble.”  
  
“If you didn't want any trouble, you shouldn't even be here spying on Rin-senpai in the first place.”  
  
“Why you're only scolding me? Gou-chan is doing the same!”  
  
“Well, it's true, the young mistress shouldn't be here either...” Rei drew out his words, looking warily at the redhead maiden.  
  
“Oh come on, Rei! I just want to hear what my brother is planning to do, they are talking about me in there you know.”  
  
“Still, it's unseemly for a lady to snoop around like this. If Rin-senpai finds out, it will be my responsibility for not watching you over. And you, little blond devil, you should return to your work. Instead of luring Gou-san into your mischief, you should be setting an example!”  
  
“Hey, it was her idea!”  
  
“Omph, you're a killjoy Rei” Gou finally gave up “let's go, Nagisa.”  
  
Rei fixed his deep purple tie as he watched them walking away. As soon as the hallway was empty again, he glanced sideways at the closed door and pursed his lips thoughtfully. A tiny bead of sweat trickled down his temple, and two seconds later, he was leaning carefully onto the door.  
  
“Great example, Rei-chan!”  
  
The butler tottered to the side and placed a hand on his chest startled. Gou and Nagisa had just sprung behind him, their sly faces taunting him for his reaction.  
  
“You almost gave me a heart attack. I was just cleaning the silver knob, it's dusty and smeared with fingermarks.”  
  
“Yeah yeah, I'm sure that's what you were doing. Now move your cute butt a bit, so I can take a peek again.”  
  
“Hey, stop pushing me, the door is wide enough for all!”  
  
“Shush, you both!” Gou intervened, smacking them lightly on the back of their heads “If you keep it up, my brother is going to catch us for sure. Nagisa-kun, can you hear what they're saying?”  
  
“It's too hard. I can see the teacher's back , but Rin-chan and Sou-chan are standing into a corner further away for some reason.”  
  
Rin raked a hand through his scarlet mane and briefly checked out Makoto once more. The handsome young bloke was sitting quietly all along , avoiding eye contact to allow them some privacy, like any polite gentleman would do. However, his tight arms around his rust brown briefcase were an indication this secret discussion they were having - rather rudely - before him, had carried on for too long.  
  
“So what you intend to do? You're going to keep him, aren't you?”  
  
“Yeah, I actually think he deserves a chance. I mean the man is a pianist, was raised in the countryside by a traditional Japanese family and loves cats. I'm not joking, that's what he wrote in his CV. What kind of a threat could he possibly pose?”  
  
“Don't look at me, you're the one who turns paranoid every time.”  
  
“Oh I will keep a close eye on him, actually on both of them, during those music sessions, have no doubt about that. Come on, Sousuke, as if you don't know me already.”  
  
“Right, last time you said that, you were supposedly about to hire a female teacher.”  
  
Sousuke put an end to their clandestine tête-à-tête and approached the mullioned window. He didn't spare but a brief, baleful glare at Makoto's direction, before leaning against the metal frame and letting his sapphire gaze sail over the world outside. Anyone in Makoto's place would have shrunk in their seat under this unwelcoming ambience, but the hazel haired man didn't utter a word and his expression remained hopeful as Rin came closer.  
  
“Please excuse my friend's manners, he is what we call 'socially awkward'. Now, to the matter at hand...I believe we may have a deal, Tachibana.”  
  
Makoto's face heartened at once.  
  
“I'm going to entrust you with my sister's musical training. I believe a two-hour class every Saturday will suffice for now?”  
  
“Thank...thank you, sir! I assure you, I'll do my best, you won't be disappointed. And yes, that sounds perfect.”  
  
He stood up and cordially shook Rin's hand, percolating with happiness.  
  
“If I may ask, mr Matsuoka, I'd like to begin the piano lessons today.”  
  
“Today?”  
  
“Yes, if possible. It will only be an introductory session, allowing me to meet my new student and outline a teaching schedule according to her needs.”  
  
“I suppose you have a point. Let me introduce you then to my sister.” Rin's perfectly sketched lips curled up to a smug smile “Gou!! Quit hiding, you may come in now! Oh, and tell those two little slackers to return to their posts before I change my mind.”  
  
The door slid open slowly, revealing an embarrassed, young girl with a charming, burgundy ponytail and eyes vibrant like red wine, a sublime copy of her brother's pair. She timidly stepped in and, despite her flushed cheeks, her singsong voice was a pleasant ripple through the rigid atmosphere.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Tachibana-san!”  
  
Rin had insisted on being present during her first piano lesson, but Gou would hear nothing of it. Stubborn as he was, he had offered an array of suggestions, from him discreetly reading a newspaper further away from them, to him staying just for a short while in order to relish a beautiful sonata. He had to back down though, as soon as Gou threatened to continue their following sessions in Makoto's apartment instead. But like a true, overprotective Matsuoka, he didn't knuckle under his sister's wish for privacy. On the contrary, the time had come to draft his loyal butler. Rei listened carefully before showily steadying his red glasses and flashing him a complacent smile.  
  
“Leave it to me, Rin-senpai.”  
  
And that was all Rin needed to hear.  
  
The coral rays of the afternoon sun fell slanting through the wide, bay windows of the main hall, allowing the natural light to sparkle off various hues of brown, as it caressed the furniture. Makoto's fingers grazed the piano's keyboard almost ritually, reveling in the sensation of old, ebony wood under his palm.  
  
“This is one of the finest pieces I've seen. They don't make grand pianos like this one anymore.”  
  
“Yes, it's beautiful.”  
  
“You really think so?”  
  
Gou sighed and gave him an adorable pout.  
  
“No, actually I know nothing about pianos, or instruments in general. But I'm really eager to learn. Their sound makes my mind travel to lands magical and unknown.”  
  
“We shall travel together then.”  
  
A furious blush crept on her pearly cheeks and her awkward chuckle met nothing but honesty and warmth on his face, when a knock on the door stole the spotlight. In a rather formal way, Rei strode in, carrying a silver tray with a porcelain tea set, depicting a beautiful Chinese landscape from the High Qing era.  
  
“Rei, why are you serving tea? It's already past that time.”  
  
“We haven't treated Tachibana-san with anything but water. A cup of nice, aromatic tea should be the minimum of our hospitality.”  
  
Under Gou's suspicious watch, Rei filled a teacup with black English tea, added milk and one spoonful of sugar in accordance with Makoto's taste, and graciously offered it to him. The polite teacher accepted it with excessive gratitude.  
  
“How is it, sir?”  
  
“It's splendid, thank you.”  
  
“You should definitely dip these cinnamon cookies in. I personally buy them from a traditional cake shop in town. It's...”  
  
“He will Rei, he will.” Gou interrupted him with a hint of annoyance. “Thanks, you may leave now.”  
  
“If the young lady or the gentleman need me, I'll be right outside”. Rei bowed respectfully and left with the same finesse he had initially appeared.  
  
“Your butler is very attentive.”  
  
“I might just have an idea who's behind all this attentiveness, but never mind.”  
  
They continued talking about music in zest. She was like a restless sailor, eager to explore this new horizon expanding before her. She wanted to know about his studies, as well as his own experiences in the melodious world of Hegel's fourth art. And Makoto delightedly answered every single question her inquiring mind moulded. They were gleefully laughing at his ordeal the first time he had to perform in front of an audience, when another knock on the door hindered their mirth. This time, Rei barged in more hastily.  
  
“Rei, what exactly you're doing?”  
  
“Tachibana-san can't leave without trying our home brew sake.”  
  
“I'm sorry, but I don't really drink alcohol.”  
  
“Oh but it's homemade, much different from what is sold in the market. We flavour it with cherry essence from our own cherry orchard too.”  
  
“Rei, he just told you he doesn't drink!” Gou was fuming, her scarlet eyes turning into balls of fire.  
  
“Just one sip then, I'm sure he'll change his mind.” Rei poured some sake into a traditional, ceramic cup and almost shoved it into Makoto's bewildered face.  
  
“He doesn't want any!”  
  
“Please no need to argue! I guess a bit of good, old Japanese nectar won't do any harm?” Makoto raised his hands, desperately trying to mollify the spirits. But as soon as he gulped some of it down, wild embers engulfed his jade eyes and he started coughing.  
  
“Great, you choked him!”  
  
“That's an exaggeration, my beautiful lady! At first, the taste is strong, but it gets used quickly. Here, sir, have some water.”  
  
“Tha-thank you...I'm fine...”  
  
“I apologize Tachibana-san...Rei, please, take the flask and leave us to carry on with the piano lesson.”  
  
“Very well. If the young lady or the gentleman need me, I...”  
  
“Yes, yes we know, you'll be right outside, God help us.”  
  
And they couldn't have guessed more accurately. Rei continued to magically appear in the grand hall, every time presenting a new excuse for his uninvited intervention. Whether it was to clean the table and withdraw the tea set, or because he had somehow heard his name being summoned, he was always present, thoroughly overseeing them behind his stylish spectacles. Gou swore to kill her brother once Makoto would leave. Angering a Matsuoka was always a dangerous risk.  
  
“I'd love it if you could teach me how to play Chopin's Nocturnes.”  
  
Makoto chuckled warmly.  
  
“Don't worry, we'll get there. We have to start from simpler things.”  
  
“I admit I'm pretty much clueless. I do know the notes and their names though from school!”  
  
“Great then. I'm making a plan for the first weeks, what we'll be working on. I'll bring you your first sheets next time.”  
  
He was keeping notes on a slightly battered journal, bubbly and neat handwriting filling the parchment paper. He needed spectacles when writing, his tawny bangs gushing over the metallic frame, deep emerald eyes focusing behind the glass. They were soothing, she thought. Lush forests expanding around his pupils. Two irises woven in the hues of nature. And a sudden amber shade that blurred his vision and made him blink.  
  
They both lifted their heads to witness Rei, who had already pulled apart the velvet curtains that cascaded in folds over the balcony door across them. The sunset was surging in through rays of tangerine.  
  
“Dear Lord, when did you sneak in?!”  
  
“Gou-san you both looked engrossed in studying, therefore I didn't wish to disturb you.”  
  
“Are you for real, Rei? Didn't you just achieve exactly that?”  
  
“Well the sun is setting already, it was time to draw the curtains, so that Tachibana-san can admire how beautiful the evening looks here, in the countryside.”  
  
“I swear Rei, once the class is over, I'm going to kill you. Actually no, first I'm going to kill my brother, then it will be your turn.”  
  
“Now now, Gou-san, wrinkles of anger don't suit your beautiful face, you will age faster.”  
  
“Oh my God!”  
  
They continued adorably bickering like old friends, and Makoto couldn't help but heartily laugh when she had to chase him around the piano.  
  
Thus the days were sailing along. The summer of 1936 had settled in for good, bringing an unprecedented heat wave that seared the United States and an era of turmoil in Spain, when one bloodstained morning in the heart of July, the Spanish Civil War broke out. But back in England, somewhere in the peaceful landscape of Kent, neither the weather, nor the politics were rattling the cycle of life. During those weeks of rare sunshine and carelessness, Makoto had integrated with the bizarre residents of the mansion and their daily rhythm. It wasn't long before his polite manners and gentle nature gained everyone's trust. He would patiently listen to Rei's monologues of knowledge with interest, and genuinely laugh at Nagisa's clever jokes. He would willingly rush to help Hana carry the groceries whenever she returned from the market on Saturdays, and always had an encouraging piece of advice for Nitori, making the silver haired boy cheer up. Even Rin himself had been intrigued by Makoto's calming personality and the way it spread its dome over the entire house, every time the soft-spoken tutor was around. Such was this lurking magnetism, that the time of the piano class had turned to the most anticipated part of the weekend for the mansion.  
  
“Ne, Haru-chan, you still haven't met our pianist, have you?”  
  
“No.”  
  
Haruka swept the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Warm summer days down at the cherry orchard with Nagisa were nothing but a dehydrating nightmare for him. The only thing overwhelming his mind was the picture of him surrendering into the bliss of the nearby lake at night.  
  
“You should, Haru-chan. Come more often out to the rest halls. He's such a friendly and helpful bloke.”  
  
“Not interested.”  
  
“Ah, even you can't deny though that every time he plays the piano, the whole house fills with sweet melodies. What about our Gou-chan? I think she has turned better at it.”  
  
“No. She still needs work.”  
  
“Really? I thought she played nicely last time.”  
  
“Her sound is too harsh and she pauses all the time. Probably her fingers and wrists are still too rigid on the keyboard, she should loosen up a bit. Maybe she should practice more the different scales.”  
  
Paving the soft, damp soil with a withy as they walked , Nagisa turned his surprised face towards his companion.  
  
“Haru-chan? You know about pianos and music?”  
  
Perhaps it was his imagination, but for a moment, Haruka seemed to flinch.  
  
“No, I...I just used to know someone.”  
  
“Ah, I see. Well I think Gou-chan will eventually become great at playing piano. I have faith in her teacher.” Nagisa winked, but noticed that the raven haired cook had suddenly come to a halt a couple of steps behind. “Hey, what did you stop for?”  
  
Haruka was standing like an unyielding pillar of salt, his gaze locked on something in the distance. There, amidst the thriving trees, at the end of a rock path filled with twigs, a brick-red water pump rose on the edge of a grassy well.  
  
_“It's cause the water well pump in the orchard broke down. I had to use a rope and a bucket instead, I guess I tied the rope around my wrists a bit more tightly than I should.”  
  
_ “Hey, Haru-chan, where are you going? The trees I want us to measure are in the opposite direction!”  
  
Haruka approached the old water well. The few times he had been dragged into the plantation by the crafty gardener, he hadn't chanced upon the low, round structure that bore the history of the estate engraved on its grey stones. The metal of the pump was rusty, but with the first lever stroke, water poured easily out the spout. The pump was working fine.  
  
“Don't tell me you suddenly got thirsty?”  
  
“Nagisa, has this been fixed recently?”  
  
“Huh? The pump? Why would it need fixing? Heh, in fact, there's not a single time I remember it broken, and it's been here way before I was born, ever since old John placed it. We're talking about some excellent manufacturing.”  
  
“Wait, what did you just say?”  
  
Haruka cut him off, squinting his eyes at the younger male. Nagisa blinked a couple of times, confused that his own words could have a meaning he wasn't grasping.  
  
“What did I say what?”  
  
“You said old John placed it. I thought the staff hired here had always been Japanese.”  
  
“Oh that...”  
  
Nagisa scratched the back of his head. He unconsciously kept bending the flexible withy in his other hand, betraying the uneasiness creeping inside him.  
  
“No, actually, there used to be a time when everyone in the staff was native, but me. Until Rin-chan started kicking them all out. Not sure why, he's unpredictable sometimes. But hey, look at the bright side, you wouldn't be here with us, had he not done that! Now, let's move on? We have work to do and cherries to gather for you before lunch.”  
  
Nagisa patted Haruka's back amicably and started walking away, shunning further digging of the past with a juvenile smile. Haruka let his azure eyes travel back towards the mansion. It rose quietly under the morning sun, an antique remnant of the previous century, peaceful and harmless. Manifesting none of the secrets its enigmatic redhead owner had tucked away.  
  
_“What are you hiding?”_ he thought, before urging his legs to follow the chirpy gardener.  
  
Back in the noble residence, the weather's humidity was slipping through the open windows, moistening the air in the grand hall, making any movement troublesome, let alone playing an instrument. Pearls of sweat were pooling on Gou's bare nape and the stickiness was muddling her focus. Something cool and unbelievably soft caressed her skin, coating it with a sensation of freshness. Gou's fingers froze above the keys.  
  
“What's wrong?”  
  
She looked up at Makoto, sincere and unsuspecting expression colouring his features. A linen handkerchief with his initials embroidered was resting in his hand, only an inch away from her neck. Makoto smiled and offered it to her.  
  
“Thank you...”  
  
“I figured you'd need it” he retorted , checking his hand-wound wristwatch. “Well, time passed quickly, I should head off so I won't miss the train. As I've told you already, our next lesson will be in the first weekend of September.”  
  
“It will feel odd spending whole August without these piano lessons.”  
  
“Perfect time for you to improve and work on the exercises for both hands that we talked about. I expect you to impress me when I return from Cornwall, Gou.”  
  
She wished him pleasant vacations with his family and he properly bid her goodbye. He had entrusted her with the task to amaze him, and though Gou wasn't confident with her piano skills yet, she was a hard worker. She would try her very best to earn his praise and bathe in his smile. Every time Makoto left, she was relapsing into daydreaming. Images of her flourishing as a pianist in front of an audience were parading before her scarlet eyes, her proud teacher gloating by her side and showering her with his ethereal shine. She could spend hours fantasizing her own fairytale of music, like any girl in her innocent teenhood. Propping her head with her left hand, a small sigh escaped her rosy lips, when she suddenly noticed a lime-coloured handkerchief hanging by the piano's edge.  
  
Her sweet reverie came to an abrupt end. She instantly grabbed the cloth and ran towards the hallway, hoping that Makoto hadn't left the estate yet. But as soon as she swung the door open, she collided with something vast and firm. A broad, masculine chest.  
  
“Hey,what's the haste for?”  
  
Sousuke was hovering above her small frame. She swallowed hard, but still tried to glance past him.  
  
“Did you just arrive? Is Tachibana sensei outside?”  
  
He frowned irritated.  
  
“So that's why you were rushing like that. No, I didn't see him.”  
  
“I wanted to return his handkerchief to him. I guess this will have to wait now till autumn.” She sighed disappointed and folded the square cloth, before shoving it in her skirt's pocket. “If you're looking for my brother, he's upstairs with mom at the moment.”  
  
“No actually...I wanted to talk with _you_. Care to have a walk with me, for a moment?”  
  
His invitation surprised her, but she accepted it with a blushing nod. Strolling through the Matsuoka gardens had been their habit in the past, whenever they wanted to unbosom themselves of their worries and thoughts. Thoughts in which, more often than not, Rin was the main star. When the sky was cloudless and the weather lukewarm, those lazy cruises through leafy bushes and pebbled pathways were the best soothing remedy for their young souls. Besides, those gardens were soaked with memories of their common childhood, as their maze-like area used to be their playground. Rin and Sousuke would indulge themselves in new frolics every day, and Gou would tag along like a playful cherub. And every time Rin would lose in a game, and his crimson eyes would childishly teem with hot tears, she would feel her lips quivering and her own red jewels starting to glaze. At moments like that, Sousuke would slightly mess her burgundy hair and say:  
  
_“You have pretty eyes. And pretty eyes shouldn't cry.”  
  
_ Gou shook her head to dispel those happy ghosts of the past. Sousuke had already sat on a carved, teak bench. He patted the space next to him, there where its white paint was chipping away, beckoning her to join him. She did.  
  
“It's been so long since we came here for a walk. You...you never seem to feel the need of having one of those long talks with me anymore.”  
  
He stole a side glance at her.  
  
“I could say the same about you.”  
  
“Yeah...I guess you could.”  
  
A young squirrel scampered along a low, decorative fence before them. It climbed fast up a Japanese maple Rin had planted years ago and vanished from their sight.  
  
“Listen, Gou...” Sousuke trailed off , trying to find the right words “For a while now, Rin wants to arrange a dinner with you and the Mikoshiba brothers.”  
  
“Yes, I've heard him talking about it once or twice.”  
  
“And? What do you think about it?”  
  
Gou shrugged.  
  
“What would I think about it? I don't really interfere with onii-chan's business.”  
  
“Damnit, you're so naïve...” he grumbled and lowered his head “That's what you think it is? A business dinner? It's a rehearsal for you to choose a future suitor.”  
  
Her eyes widened and she stared at him as if he had just landed on earth from a faraway planet. Soon, her delicate hand came to cover the giggles escaping her mouth.  
  
“Come on, Sousuke-kun, what kind of a joke is that? As if onii-chan would ever plan something like that, every time a male approaches me, he flips.”  
  
“He doesn't like the idea one bit, but he has convinced himself this is the right thing to do.”  
  
“Well, let him try. Besides, as far as I know, the Mikoshiba brothers are currently in Germany for the summer Olympics. Seriously though, it's hard to believe that onii-chan of all people would think like that.”  
  
“And what about you?”  
  
“What about me?”  
  
Sousuke bit the inner of his mouth. This was more difficult than he had initially expected.  
  
“What do you think of the Mikoshiba brothers?”  
  
Gou pondered for a minute.  
  
“The younger one can be funny I guess. But he has all these weird hobbies and he never ceases to talk about himself or what he likes whenever I see him. It makes me feel uncomfortable sometimes.”  
  
“And his older brother?”  
  
“Well his brother...wait, what's with the sudden interrogation anyway?”  
  
Her face emanated confusion rather than irritation. He still averted his eyes.  
  
“It's brotherly concern. We grew up together, you've been like a sister to me, so I wish to see you making the right choice.”  
  
For a while, they were engulfed by nature's stillness. That peculiar silence one can meet only at nouns, when the sun is reigning and the sole sound is the tweeting of robins. And then, she exploded.  
  
“Utter nonsense! It's brotherly concern? Really? For once, why don't you say what you're really thinking?”  
  
She felt him slumping into his own self again, and grabbed him by the arm. Her hand around his bicep was trembling, too shocked to interpret her own thoughts and where they had all of a sudden sprung from.  
  
“Just for once, Sousuke-kun...why...why don't you let it all out?”  
  
She nearly yelped when, in response, his arm slithered around her waist and forcefully flattened her body against his own. His glowing sapphire bore into her warm crimson, like the morning tide that put away the last bonfire. This proximity, this passion, this fear were all too much for her to wrap her mind around.  
  
“Do you have any idea what you're asking? Let it all out?” he grunted, breathing out his lustful anger on her flustered face “Do you know what it means? I can show you.”  
  
His hand slid below the hem of her mid shin, pleated skirt, and quickly found the velvet of her thighs. Thick fingers zealously fondled their way upwards, stopping only a breath away from her unconquerable core. She gasped at the boldness, pure panic drawn within her eyes.  
  
“This...this is what it means.”  
  
“Please stop.”  
  
“Oh, should I stop now? What happened to letting it all out?”  
  
“No, not like this.”  
  
“Then like what? What did you think would happen if I did what you asked and stopped hiding behind my brotherly love? We would just continue to dilly-dally in some sort of platonic fling? Should I just stroke your ego with words, until one day you start blaming me again if, God forbids, I accidentally stumble on you when you aren't dressed properly?”  
  
On the one side his words stinging like burning needles, on the other his hand still trapped between her milky thighs; it was getting impossible to breathe. Every coherent thought had been violently shattered and scattered into the merciless torridity of noun.  
  
“I never...ever said that.”  
  
“Yes, Gou, that's the thing. _You_ never said anything, instead you're asking _me_ to do that.”  
  
And just like that, he freed her. His intrusive hand disappeared from beneath her skirt, the teal of his eyes swayed away from her rubicund face. For a moment, she struggled to collect herself. Had she really meant to make him confess the feelings she thought he harbored, only to be completely unaware of the next step? When she had kneaded his muscles that day in her brother's chambers, she had completely submitted to the trance of the moment, but when he was the one to make a move this time, dreadful feelings had vanquished her senses. Was she really that unprepared? Was she still what he thought her to be? A child demanding her toy. A kid sister.  
  
“It can be worked out, Sousuke-kun. I can learn.”  
  
She listened to her voice disagreeing with her mind. But Sousuke shook his head and stood up.  
  
“You also seem to forget Rin and his reaction.”  
  
Her brother, that conundrum. The beacon and barrier of her life at the same time. Her love for him was infinite, but she couldn't stargaze under his veil forever. She had proven in multiple occasions she was as strong as he. The time had come to embrace her own risks, hushing his stringent voice in the back of her mind.  
  
“Onii-chan has nothing to do with it.”  
  
“He has _everything_ to do with it. He always had.”  
  
This time, Sousuke turned his back to her. When he spoke again, his voice was cold and stern.  
  
“I care about you, Gou. I care a lot. As a brother. And this is the type of love I can ever have for you.”

She smoothed the pleats of her brown skirt, before rising to steady feet. He didn't turn around. The view of his broad back was a disheartening sight, but that imposing stature wasn't enough to quell her bitterness.  
  
“You know why onii-chan is better than both of us? You know why he'll always be the one to hold our wheel? Because her never sacrifices his feelings, he always pours them out.”  
  
She hurried back to the mansion, her quick pace making the brim of her skirt swish around her calves. He didn't go after her.  
  
Unaware of the emotional gale his beloved sister and best friend were battling against, Rin knocked on the door of his mother's chamber. Her bedroom was spacious and airy just like the doctors had advised, and the siblings were always making sure it was swarmed with fresh bouquets of her favourite sakura flowers. Mrs Matsuoka usually spent her days reading a book in bed or drinking tea by the window, always dolefully gazing at the world outside. Following the deterioration of her fragile health, her public appearances the past year had become even more infrequent. So when that day, upon entering her boudoir, Rin found her all dressed up before her cheval mirror, he was instantly alarmed.  
  
“Mother, what's the meaning of this?”  
  
“Is the car ready yet? I asked Uozumi over an hour ago.”  
  
“Where are you heading to? You know what the doctors said.”  
  
“They never said I should stay imprisoned in my room. Could you hand me my slouch hat? The black one on the hatstand.”  
  
Rin did so reluctantly, even though he couldn't deny it was a fine accessory to adorn his mother's head. Not that Akane Matsuoka needed any ornaments to attest her beauty. Despite her illness causing her voice to turn hoarse and her once blooming cheeks to hollow due to weight loss, her almond shaped, caramel eyes were still embracing the world with warmth. Her silky, crimson mane was vibrantly crowning her beautiful face, white strands of hair randomly peeping out here and there, like thin stripes on red canvas. Had it not been for their late father's fiery eyes, Rin and Gou would have grown up to become Akane's spitting images.  
  
“It's almost time for your lunch, mother. If you want so much to get outside, why don't you go for a walk through our cherry orchard instead?”  
  
“My darling, you forget what date is today.”  
  
“How could I...”  
  
He hissed, words breaching past his lips like drops of venom. Specters of a time forsaken but not forgotten were once again leaking out of the Pandora's box that was his childhood. If he focused, he could still smell that familiar agony drenched in blood.  
  
“So you're visiting the cemetery? At your condition...”  
  
“Uozumi will drive me there, and Hana will also escort me. I shall be fine.”  
  
“The whole mansion could volunteer to join you and still your presence there wouldn't be necessary.”  
  
Rin tightened his fists at his sides, bleaching his knuckles. After a sigh, Akane tried to soften up and approached her son.  
  
“I understand that you and Oliver had always been at odds. He wasn't loving as a stepfather. But, just for today, I wish to pay some respect in his memory.”  
  
She attempted to caress his jawline, but Rin roughly brushed away her touch.  
  
“Pay respect?! He's been a rotten corpse for years, what difference will it make? Dying was the only right thing he ever did!”  
  
“Please don't talk like that for the dead.”  
  
“Not everyone who's dead deserves my gratitude. Especially bastards like your ex husband.”  
  
“Oliver had his flaws but look around you! Look where you live and how people treat you as a noble. To whom you think you owe that? We were stranded and penniless, I endured him and his way of life so we wouldn't end up beggars. But you were always headstrong and ungrateful!”  
  
Rin was shaking under the weight of his rage. The lava in his irises had overrun the white, watery bloodshot eyes beseeching the woman that brought him in the world in pain.  
  
“Ungrateful? You know what he did, mom. You know he...”  
  
She took a step back, clenching her chest with her hands. That suffocating feeling was building up again.  
  
“No, I don't want to hear about this delusion again...”  
  
“You never wanted to hear about it, mom! Not even all those years back, when I tried to tell you!” he barked at her, fist slamming on her vanity table.  
  
“Please...stop...my chest...”  
  
“You endured him?! What about everything my sister and I had to endure? How dare you claim you did it for us?!”  
  
Akane Matsuoka burst into wild coughing, her whole body violently convulsing under the attack of her fateful illness. Terrified by the sight, her son instantly leapt to her side, securing her in his arms as she was about to collapse. Again and again he whispered _“I'm sorry”_ into her coiffured hair, not because he actually wanted to apologize for his words, but because he knew he would eternally regret it if he didn't say it. He fetched a clean towel from her drawers and gently helped her to sweep her mouth. The alabaster cotton was mottled with stains of blood, like the leaves of the Japanese maple that loyally guarded their yard through the seasons. Akane nodded sadly and lifted up her hand to cup her son's cheek. This time, he leaned into it.  
  
“I'm fine. Just the coughing attacks have turned worse. Rin, listen...I do want the best for you and your sister. I hope to see her happy soon, with someone worthy by her side and a family of her own.”  
  
“You will.”  
  
“And you...I know you always get annoyed when I try to say something, but I do wish you found a lovely girl to be your spouse.”  
  
Rin stood there silent. And when his sick mother rested her head on his chest, a smile of comfort illuminating her face, he wrapped his arms around her scrawny figure, but his eyes remained dead and unresponsive.  
  
The evening found him alone in his solemn lounge, drowning his pride in a bottle of whiskey. His mother had returned hours ago from her macabre tour and everyone had retired to their private chambers earlier than usual. Almost everyone.  
  
“I brought what you asked.”  
  
Rin's face lit up at the sight of Haruka. He stretched in his boarskin armchair and motioned at the young chef to come closer. Haruka placed a bowl full of dark-sweet cherries on a Victorian coffee table before him, along with a small plate for the pits.  
  
“You know, Rei was seriously irked when I called for your service tonight, instead of his.” Rin smirked, “he feels like he is being replaced.”  
  
“I'm not a butler.”  
  
“That's what I told him too. Why don't you have a drink with me?”  
  
“I don't do well with alcohol.”  
  
“I didn't invite you to a drinking challenge, Haru. Come on, how dangerous can one glass be?”  
  
Haruka wasn't sure if it was the warm night, that was gradually casting its dark cloak, the one to blame. If it was his own curiosity or Rin's natural witchery. But he seated himself on a twin armchair and took the glass with the heady liquor, offered to him like the Biblical apple of Temptation. In one sip, he gulped down half of it and shuddered at the astringent sensation laminating his tongue. His virgin reaction made Rin laugh.  
  
“Hey, easy there. It's not water.”  
  
“It tastes funny.”  
  
“Don't tell me you've never tried whiskey before? How do you use it in cocktails if you don't even know how it tastes?”  
  
Haruka shrugged and brought the glass to his lips again.  
  
“I just do. It's not only about whiskey, I don't drink any of the beverages I mix.”  
  
“But how you distinguish the...”  
  
“From the smell. Every ingredient has its own unique odor. Its own identity. I match identities together.”  
  
He finished his drink and put the glass down with a low thump. Rin was practically gawking at him, letting his inquiring mind study this extraordinary male specimen before him, with eyes imitating jewels of aquamarine and a personality hard to decode like a boggling riddle. He could feel the intense vibes wavering between their opposite bodies and, despite Haruka's aloof expression, he was certain the raven-haired man had noticed them too.  
  
“What about the rest fragments of this world? The piano down in the hall, the trees in my orchard...the hares and squirrels...the people?”  
  
“Everything has its own scent for me.”  
  
The redhead leaned over the coffee table, his voice pitched lower than normally.  
  
“Then what about me? What's my scent?”  
  
“You smell like cherry blossoms.”  
  
A wide wrinkle charted his forehead, as his red thin eyebrows vanished beneath his loose bangs. It was impossible for Haruka to know his deeper love for sakura trees, an infatuation that started when he was still a toddler living in Japan.  
  
“Why would I remind you of cherry blossoms?”  
  
“I might tell you one day.”  
  
Haruka's unintentional obscurity always aroused Rin. Both physically and mentally. Four months ago a walking mystery had stepped on his threshold, and the redhead had been struggling to solve the puzzle ever since.  
  
“What about you then?”  
  
“Me? I'm water.”  
  
“But water has no smell.”  
  
There was a moment still in time. And then Haruka smiled. It was nothing but a faint twitch on the corners of his thin lips. But it was there. Encouraging Rin to slide over the coffee table and settle on its wooden edge, right in front of him. He casually rested a bold elbow on Haruka's knee, while he popped a juicy cherry in his mouth.  
  
“Interesting choices, I must say. Sakura trees are beautiful. Unique. But, just like everything else, they do need their water to blossom, don't you think?”  
  
Haruka watched him provocatively chewing on a second cherry.  
  
“You wouldn't let a beautiful tree dry up. Would you, Haru?”  
  
This time, a cherry was brought to Haruka's lips, tantalizing the flesh, as Rin used it to trace his bottom one. Catching the bait, Haruka slowly enveloped the fruit in his mouth, leaving a trail of saliva on Rin's finger. Sucking the air between them, Rin leaned in. His lips leisurely brushed against Haruka's, until the ice-forged brunet parted them, oh so lightly, allowing their tongues to briefly greet each other. When they drifted apart, Rin smugly took the tiny pit out of his own mouth.  
  
“One more”  
  
The redhead breathed out and bent forward once again, this time more eagerly. It had only been a feathery kiss, but it had sparked up the wantonness within him for good. However, Haruka turned his cheek.  
  
“What happened to the cherry?”  
  
“Oh, so that's how it is...” Rin's hand moved upwards from Haruka's knee, nails digging in his shoddy-clothed thigh. “Do I have to bait you every time then? You'll try my patience if you keep resisting me.”  
  
“And what if I do? Will you fire me? Just like you did with the entire old help?”  
  
Rin angled backwards, just as his fingertips had begun grazing Haruka's crotch.  
  
“What the hell are you saying?”  
  
“Why you kicked out of your service so many people? It wasn't the economical crisis the problem, it was you.”  
  
The candle of anger flickered inside Rin's eyes. But it met only the frozen vastness of Haruka's apathy. Pulling himself up, the redhead turned his back and distanced himself from the epicenter of his desires.  
  
“You're speaking of things you don't know. It's not your place to ask me anything. Understood?”  
  
“If I say that I don't, will you punish me? I figured it might be a fetish of yours.”  
  
“Get out...”  
  
Rin spat a cold whisper. Haruka stared at his master's hunched shoulders for a moment, before obeying his command. After all, he was never planning on defying him any longer. He only paused one last time at the doorstep.  
  
“You just seem to have a misconception, here. You're the shark attracted to the bait, not me, _Rin_ .”  
  
As the hours slipped away and the night cheered the darkness on, the temperature dropped significantly. Buried in his dim chamber, Rin Matsuoka had perished in a drinking spree. Sprawled over a desk, mouth skewed and cheeks flushed, he was gazing at the almost empty, second bottle of whiskey in pure worship. And at that trifling moment, he honestly believed that. He believed that no one else was meant to understand him in this life of dirt he was leading. Neither his servants, nor his friends. Not even the supposed cradle of his very existence; his own mother.  
  
Her lackluster image wouldn't abandon his mind, and along with her, shameful phantasms of his childhood would rise from their shallow graves and devour him faster than he was gulping down the inebriating scotch. Right then, the shadows on the walls would shift. They would take the shapes of an endless, ebony lake and its mysterious, midnight swimmer. Haruka's enigmatic words would keep ringing in his ears.  
  
_“I figured it might be a fetish of yours”  
  
“Why you kicked out of your service so many people?”  
  
“I know what you've been doing at nights too.”  
  
_ “Like hell you do!!!”  
  
He cried out to the emptiness, before falling apart in his chair. That stranger running his own kitchen. That man who had audaciously called him by his first name without himself granting him that right. Who was he and what he wanted from him? What all of them wanted from him, anyway?  
  
“Senpai?” _  
  
_ The fogginess around him started to dissolve, Nirori's silver head emerging from the ashes.  
  
“Ai? What are you doing here...”  
  
“I just finished patching the sleeves of your hunting jacket and brought it to you. Please, Matsuoka-senpai, let me help you to your bed.”  
  
He hanged onto his devoted valet, but refused to let go of the whiskey bottle, cradling it instead as if it was his most precious property. He sank in his bed and propped himself on the elbows, watching under hooded eyes while Nitori knelt between his parted legs to carefully take off his shoes. His socks were off soon as well, and Nitori proceeded in massaging his soles, well aware this always relieved his master of stress.  
  
Rin sat up and cupped the youth's face with both hands. His thumbs pressed on his cheekbones, forcing him to look up into his garnet eyes.  
  
“Tell me, Ai. Am I an ungrateful monster? Is that all that I am?”  
  
“No senpai! You..you're nothing like that. I know you have a kind soul deep inside.”  
  
Rin's thumbs skimmed towards Nitori's lips and tenderly rubbed the flesh there.  
  
“Good boy. Now...” he leaned down to the shell of his ear “...go lock the door.”  
  
And as the silver haired servant hesitantly turned the key in the hole, Rin poured the last drops of whiskey in his mouth and reached for the bottom drawer of his night-stand, retrieving a bundle of black, leather harnesses.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated! New chapter is up.


	4. A Dinner of Twists

**  
  
  
4**  
  
**  
A Dinner of Twists**

* * *

  
  
The morning sky was weeping. Churlish clouds were darkening the empyrean vault, coughing out streams of water that fused the colourful surroundings into a grey blur. Myriads plopping sounds travelled in waves, as green leaves bent under the heavy droplets and the land sank in sopping moisture. In mid-September, the weather was marching on with a vengeance.  
  
A 1931 cypress-tinted Bentley slowly pulled over in the soaked front yard of the grand estate. Emerging from the passenger's seat, Matsuoka Rin paddled his way towards the porch, his leather brogues sloshing in puddles of water. At the sight of his master getting lashed in the rainy haze, Rei opened a large, black umbrella and hurriedly left his waiting spot under the canopied threshold.  
  
“Fucking hell, this rain...”  
  
Rin brushed the wet bangs away from his gloomy face. His stiff expression betrayed he was a bearer of unpleasant news.  
  
“A dry change of clothes is awaiting you, Rin-san.” Rei held the parasol close above their heads, yet the raindrops would find a way to breach the barrier still, every time the gusting wind carrying them changed its diagonal direction. “How did the meeting go?”  
  
“Not well, Rei. We are in a very tight position, right now. If nothing changes in the market, I will have to find new creditors.”  
  
They hustled up the stairs of the porch, welcoming the shelter against the torrential storm.  
  
“I need to take off these shoes, my feet are practically swimming inside them. Everything has been a mess today. The appointment with the suppliers, this weather...do you know why it took us so long to come back? Cause we were driving at turtle speed, that's why. We couldn't even see the road ahead of us. How are the preparations for the dinner going?”  
  
“No need to worry, everything is almost ready.”  
  
Rin exhaled with a hint of relief.  
  
“Good , good. Oh, speaking of which...” he flicked the belt of his trench coat loose and took a small bottle out of an inner pocket. He lightly tapped Rei's chest with it, and his lips curled up to a sly smile.  
  
“Try it. Finest taste from Europe's oldest vineyard in Santorini.”  
  
“It's...it's a bit early for me to drink alcohol.”  
  
“Nonsense. Come on, trust me. I've actually bought two full bottle crates , Uozumi will fetch them from the car. I want you to serve this wine tonight at the dinner.”  
  
Rei sniffed the narrow spout with curiosity, while Rin's gaze cruised around the waterlogged gardens.  
  
“Let's hope we won't be needing Noah's ark by the evening. Nothing should ruin...what the hell?”  
  
Rin's eyes squinted at something in the blurry distance. A familiar figure was slowly materializing, smudged by the sheets of rain befogging their vision.  
  
“Is that Haru? What is he doing in this bloody downpour, taking a shower?”  
  
“I have no idea. He wasn't outside earlier.”  
  
“For God's sake, what an idiot! Give me this...” cursing under his breath, Rin snatched the folded umbrella from Rei's hands.  
  
“Wait sir!”  
  
“Go back inside, Rei! I can't afford my cook going down with pneumonia tonight...” he rushed once more through the yard, as his last words faded into the long, whirring sound of rain.  
  
Several steps away from Haruka, his legs felt paved with lead. He found himself too weak to cross the last metres separating them. For the extraordinary sight in front of him had already mesmerized his mind. Seemingly oblivious to his intrusive presence, Haruka was standing amidst the stormy blast, his eyes lidded and his soul bare. His face was tilted upwards, towards that vortex of clouds made of granite, countless of raindrops mercilessly pelting it before cascading down his body in impetuous rivers. His body lingered almost stock-still, completely surrendered to the weather's whims, and the only imperceptible motion was that of his fingers, as the water formed ribbons flowing out of their tips. It was a delicate choreography; Haruka was caressing the rain.  
  
The borderline artistic image of a drenched Haruka challenging the rain in its own field, daunted Rin as much as it scandalized him. Instinctively, he clenched tightly the handle of his umbrella and shouted on top of his lungs.  
  
“Haru!...HARU!!”  
  
As his own name echoed above the drumming cataracts, the raven haired man slowly turned his head towards Rin. His eyes were fully open now, those azure orbs that somehow still emitted their unearthly starlight through the pleated curtains of grey. Once again, he was greeting the redhead with that untroubled stare of his, the one that deemed absurd Rin's cover under the umbrella, rather than his own exposure to the forces of nature.  
  
“Why, Haru? Why are you out here? You're going to get sick.”  
  
It was as if he had just told him the most illogical scenario in the world. The expression on Haru's face momentarily shifted into a light frown, before the lines on his forehead smoothed out again.  
  
“Sick? The water cannot hurt me. Listen...”  
  
Rin did. And , finally, he understood. He had seen this scene before. Whether it had been a forgotten image of his own past, or one of those stolen memories that haunted his dreams, memories that weren't his, he couldn't honestly tell. But somewhere in his repressed reality or his turbulent imagination, the anamnesis of someone listening to the splattering sound of rain had timidly awaken. The brolly slipped off his hands, and as pearls of water showered his hair , he lifted his crimson gaze towards the sky, in an attempt to harken the secrets flooding down on him. He scrunched up his eyes, droplets rapidly smacking his cheeks or getting trapped between his long eyelashes, but he could feel now, with every cell of his body, the peculiar sensation that water was spreading on him. The water that Haruka for some reason worshipped deeply. The same one that had almost become once his wet grave.  
  
When he noticed Haruka closing in, they were already a few breaths away from each other. The intense look in Haruka's eyes was paralysing as always, but in that very moment with the storm hollering around them, Rin managed to return the intensity on equal terms. He was more confused than ever, unable to fathom what exactly it was he had remembered, and yet nothing made more sense than that moment. Haruka's hand was hovering now an inch away from his face, and Rin would have gladly hailed the impeding contact, hadn't the sound of his own name this time sliced through the sodden air.  
  
“Matsuoka-san!!”  
  
The silhouettes of Uozumi and Rei were gleaming in the distance, as his driver and his butler kept calling his name. In an abrupt move, Rin grabbed Haruka by the wrist and, with his heart pounding inside his chest, he dashed towards the kitchen's porch, dragging the silent brunet all the way with him. They entered panting the high-ceiling room, and only then did Rin let go of Haruka's hand. Becoming suddenly aware of how drenched his trench coat was, he quickly removed both that and his wrinkled shirt, leaving only his still dry wife-beater on. His battered brogues followed suit, and he placed his elbows on the oaken counter, eliciting a long sigh of relief as he leaned back. Haruka had mirrored his actions, but as he had stayed a prey to the storm way longer than Rin, everything from his apron to his under-shirt were wringing-wet. He shifted his weight on his bare feet, as the steam rising from cooking pots embraced his cold skin and tiny shivers tiptoed down his naked chest. Rin hadn't missed the allure. Normally, his sinful eyes would fondle those firm muscles for indefinite time. But it was the way Haruka's soaked pants were glued on his legs as if they were one size smaller already, or perhaps the way a hasty stroke through his dark bangs had left them tousled comically to the side, that made Rin unable to contain the sudden wave of mirth.  
  
“Damn, you look pathetic.”  
  
He burst out in a heartfelt laughter. A laughter that grew into a waterfall, spilling out towards every corner of the smoky cookery, as soon as he realised exactly how ridiculous himself must have been looking. Water pooling around his feet, wet strands of hair fused together like hugging snakes, business suit converted into a damp rag.  
  
“Or I guess we both do.”  
  
Haruka's heart twitched. That laughter. How many years had it been since he had last heard such a youthful melody? So pure and joyful, like not a single day had ever flitted away. Like the buried past had never been a shadow. The ends of Haruka's lips coiled upwards voluntarily, and even a genuine titter pierced through the redhead's rumbling boom.  
  
“Well, look at that...” Rin shook his head amazed “...you can actually smile.”  
  
Perhaps they weren't teenagers anymore, but here they were dripping rainwater from head to toe and laughing like ones at their own shenanigans.  
  
“So what will our guests be having tonight? Let me guess, mackerel soup for starter, and then grilled mackerel , escorted by mackerel salad with tomato and samphire...”  
  
To Rin's surprise, a voluptuous smell of spices warmed up his nostrils when he angled over a hot casserole.  
  
“Beef stew? I see you have finally stopped ditching my suggestions.”  
  
“I didn't cook it for you. You mentioned it's an important dinner for the family.”  
  
Using his hip, Haruka pushed him away from the stove. Rin propped his head up on an elbow, and studied him behind sanguine, dreamy eyes, as Haruka kept stirring the boiling soup.  
  
“Mmhmm, I did, didn't I?”  
  
“Lord Matsuoka?”

Rin glanced above his shoulder at the owner of the familiar, dulcet voice. Hanamura Chigusa was standing under the door frame, carrying a pile of freshly ironed and neatly folded towels and sheets.  
  
“Towels!!!”  
  
Rin startled her as he snagged two white, fluffy towels from her arms and, throwing one at Haruka, he stifled a giggle when it landed on his face.  
  
“But, sir, I had just washed those.”  
  
“So? They are supposed to get dirty, that's what we have them for.” He rubbed his face in the towel, enjoying the softness “Ah, it smells so nice! I'd better go change though.”  
  
He gathered his creased clothes and muddy shoes, before pouting at his maid with an almost apologetic look, very uncharacteristic of him.  
  
“Hana, I'm afraid the floor needs some mopping. Be a doll and take care of it, will you?”  
  
He urged her further into the kitchen with a light slap on her butt, making Hana's cheeks change a hundred shades of red.  
  
“Yes...yes sir...”  
  
“I'll see you both later tonight. Try your best and it's going to be a lovely dinner.”  
  
Rin offered a brief smirk to Haruka, and walked away whistling a happy tune, which lingered for a while all the way down the hallway. As Hana remarked she rarely saw her master in such high spirits anymore, Haruka inhaled the sweet fragrance emanating from his towel. It was a mix of sandalwood soap and sweet lavender, but underneath it all, he could distinguish the subtle yet unique scent of cherry blossoms, the same one that surged through the mansion every time Rin was around. That redhead who hadn't even noticed how his foul mood the entire morning had just vanished in an instant.  
  
By the evening, the weather had decided to turn merciful. The rain had been reduced to a monotonous pitter-patter on the roofs and the winds had ceased blowing their horns. Rin was fixing his bow tie before the oval mirror in his bedroom, when Gou entered. His heart throbbed. To say that she was stunning, would be an understatement. Her chiffon, backless evening gown – a signature of their decade – gave prominence to her femininity, promoting the cheerful teenager into a charming woman. He must have been mad to submit to his mother's wish and tolerate any man on earth laying his eyes on her.  
  
“Onii-chan!”  
  
Gou planted a chaste kiss on his cheek and he tugged on her shoulder straps , already questioning his decision to arrange this dinner.  
  
“Oi Gou, don't you think this is a bit...”  
  
“Don't start.”  
  
He smiled reluctantly at her rejection of his fashion advice. At least for tonight, he had to battle his emotions and not be an overprotective jerk. When the bell signaled the arrival of their guests, they went downstairs together to welcome them.  
  
The moment Mikoshiba Seijuurou stepped in, the air shifted. There was a certain grandeur about him, imposingly tall as he stood in his white suit, his imperious aura occupying any space in a matter of seconds. He was followed by his younger sibling, Momotarou, a devious youth not as handsome as his older brother, and nowhere as intimidating, but twice as bright; the type of troublemaker who could score straight As in Maths, but was too busy chasing maidens.  
  
“Captain, Momo! Welcome to my humble abode.”  
  
A huge, shark grin traversed Rin's face, from one ear to the other, as he cordially patted their backs.  
  
“Don't be so modest Matsuoka, it doesn't suit you,” Seijuurou retorted, his rich, stentorian voice exuding the same enthusiasm.  
  
“I believe you have met my sister before.”  
  
Rin extended his arm, beckoning Gou to come closer, which she did with excessive grace. Seijuurou was instantly captivated, his memories of Gou were mostly those of a beautiful middle schooler tailing after her older brother.  
  
“Years have gone by so fast. Enchanted, my dear.”  
  
He gently grasped her hand by the fingers and elegantly placed a soft kiss on its back.  
  
“Nii-san isn't as lucky as I am, I get to see Gou-san every day at school, isn't that right?”, Momotarou complimented her with a wink.  
  
A rosy blush tickled her features, as Gou was too used in being treated as a kid sister, rather than a desirable woman. However, she stood her ground like an experienced hostess and smiled equally at the bold brothers.  
  
“We are happy to have you both here tonight.”  
  
“Captain, you remember Sousuke, right?”  
  
Abandoning his lonely spot at the end of the staircase's banister, where he had been leaning all along with his hands shoved in his pockets, Sousuke slowly approached the delighted fellowship.  
  
“Yes of course, we went in the same high school after all. It's been a while, Yamazaki.”  
  
“Time flies, Mikoshiba.”  
  
Their handshake was tight. Perhaps a bit too tight on Sousuke's part, something that was noted by Seijuurou with a flashing spark in his golden eyes.  
  
“Yamazaki-senpai, Yamazaki-senpai!!” Momotarou sprang in front of the taller male. “You remember me?”  
  
“How could I forget...” Sousuke muttered, averting his eyes sideways. The image of black beetles, often randomly discovered under his school desk, wasn't something to flee his memory that easily.  
  
“Why don't we all move to the lounge for an aperitif?”  
  
Rin could read the tension on his childhood friend a bit too well.  
  
“Oi, quit looking so stiff” he snarled under his breath while passing in front of the brunet. And as the butler showed the guests into the salon, all Sousuke could think of was a certain shapely and dangerously bare backside.  
  
Around the art deco coffee table – a single olivewood chiselled into furniture – Rin and Seijuurou engaged in a lively reminiscence of their common past. This left Gou relatively unguarded against Momotarou's playful advances. The copperhead Mikoshiba had an adorable way of turning into a pest; he would bombard her with pointless info about his daily routine and, amidst flirtatious jokes and bedroom eyes, would try to draw forth her own private life. Occasionally, Rin would send an aggressive stare his way and the young boy would cower, only to return more eager the next moment into his restless babbling.  
  
Meanwhile, Sousuke was simmering.  
  
Sunk in an armchair, his pupils kept bouncing between Gou and her suitors, his knuckles pale white around an almost empty goblet. It was obvious to him that Seijuurou's irresistible demeanour had picked up Gou's interest. He could tell by the way her rosy ears perked up, every time he would recount another one of his zillion achievements in the world of water sports.  
  
“Oi, Ryugazaki. What is this stuff? Bring me some more, will you?”  
  
“The young master brought it today, Yamazaki-san. It's really an excellent choice of wine.”  
  
“What the...have you been drinking it too? Your breath reeks of alcohol and fruit.”  
  
“Oh my...” an embarrassed Rei sealed his lips with his gloved fingers, “I may have had a couple of glasses since morning.”  
  
Eventually, Akane Matsuoka made her entrance supported by Hana, apologizing profusely that her frail health hadn't allowed her to join them sooner. After that, it wasn't long till Rei announced that the dinner was ready to be served and everyone took their seats around the luxurious dining table.  
  
“So, Mikoshiba-sama, why does my brother call you captain?” Gou took a small bite from her onion tart and wrinkled her nose playfully at the aristocratic man.  
  
“Perhaps you don't remember it, Gou-kun, but I was the leader of our swimming team back when your brother and I met.”  
  
“Yeah, later Sei graduated and I, eventually, quitted swimming. But your title lived on, didn't it, captain?”  
  
“I always believed you shouldn't have quitted, Matsuoka. You would be quite good in this newest stroke, it's called butterfly.”  
  
“Well, who knows? I had a lot on my plate back then.”  
  
Rin's brief , resentful glance at his mother went unnoticed by everyone, except his beloved sister. Gou gently squeezed his knee under the table and he smiled reassuringly at her in return.  
  
“You were always quite an athletic teenager, my dear Seijuurou.” Akane chimed in, her favourable treatment towards the eldest son of the Mikoshiba family had been undeniable for years. “My son told me you spent some time in Germany this summer, attending the Olympics. I'm sure Gou would love to hear about it, isn't that right sweetheart?”  
  
Gou blushed furiously.  
  
“Yes of course, mother. Though, I believe everyone on this table would be interested in hearing about the games.”  
  
“Well..” Seijuurou dabbed his lips with a napkin and let his gaze sway over the curious faces circling the dining table “...it was an unforgettable experience. We were lucky to have tickets for most of the events , Momo was thrilled with the swimming sports.”  
  
“I loved them! Japan won many medals in all three strokes. And a gold one in 200 m freestyle relay!” Momotarou added excited and beamed at Gou, as if he had just presented her with the most valuable treasure.  
  
“The facilities were excellent. Basketball and canoeing made their first appearance as Olympic sports...”  
  
“...and field handball, nii-san.”  
  
“Yes, that too. Also, did you know these games were broadcast on television? It hasn't happened before. We were told that twenty-five television viewing rooms had been set up in the Greater Berlin area. Honestly, the German Chancellor deserves the praise for organizing games of such high quality.”  
  
“You mean the same Chancellor that dreamt of using the games to prove his hateful theories of Aryan racial superiority? Or you conveniently didn't register this detail?”  
  
The temperature plunged to zero in the aglow dining room.  
  
“Sousuke! This was uncalled-for.”  
  
“Sousuke-kun...”  
  
“Please, everything is fine.” Seijuurou motioned calmly at the worried Matsuokas. He entwined his fists over the table and studied the brunet at the opposite end with newfound curiosity. “Yamazaki is actually right, Adolf Hitler wanted badly to make that point, but he failed when Jesse Owens , an African-American sprinter and long jumper, won four gold medals in the heart of Berlin. Seeing him on the podium was a touching moment for many.”  
  
“That damned illness of mine, I learn nothing about what's happening in the world anymore.”  
  
“Owens' victories were all over the newspapers, mother. I showed you an article, didn't I?”  
  
“Oh you did Rin? My memory doesn't help me, darling.”  
  
“Still...” Seijuurou's sunlit eyes fixated on Sousuke, almost challenging him “...the fact remains that these Olympics were organized extremely well, offering a different level of gaming experience to the public. Despite his beliefs, Hitler is quite competent in what he does. No wonder our homeland is on good terms with Germany at the moment.”  
  
“So what if it is?” Sousuke pressed on.  
  
“I beg your pardon?”  
  
“What does it matter if Japan is on good terms with them? The reality is, it shouldn't be. Besides, both you and I live in England. And this country, our country, doesn't exactly favour the rise of fascism in Europe.”  
  
“Indeed we may be Japanese, but we live here and abide by British laws. I think it's wise to stay out of other countries' affairs, what possible threat could they pose for Britain?”  
  
“We may have to choose sides sooner than you imagine.”  
  
“Relax, Yamazaki. I never implied we should be supporting Hitler instead.”  
  
“You could have fooled me.”  
  
“Gentlemen, I believe it's time for a change of topic...”  
  
Rin's determined interference coincided with the arrival of the main course, and soon the homemade beef stew was pleasing everyone's palate. Especially the two Mikoshibas looked particularly satisfied with the array of savoury tastes this dinner had offered them. Once his plate was empty, Seijuurou didn't delay in requesting to meet the man behind that exquisite feast.  
  
“You really want to meet my cook?” Rin cocked a quizzical eyebrow at his former captain.  
  
“I would like to personally congratulate him. It's been years since I last came across such an excellent combination of English and Japanese cuisines.”  
  
Still doubtful about where this situation could lead to, Rin ordered Rei to summon the mysterious cook. When Haruka entered the dining room, he immediately hesitated. Stealing the spotlight in such an occasion wasn't something he would ever aim for, and being anywhere but the service quarters, even though didn't make him nervous, still felt unusually foreign to him. He was like a fish floundering in the mud, struggling to return into the revitalizing water.  
  
“Damn, he's young!” Momotarou exclaimed “Hey, come closer, we don't want to bite you, only your food.”  
  
Haruka's blue eyes searched among the banqueters for a sign, and he only found it at Rin's encouraging nod to move forward.  
  
“What is your name, boy?” Seijuurou's stern voice had a rare welcoming tone in it.  
  
“Nanase Haruka, sir.”  
  
“Your master is very lucky to have you, Nanase. Everything we ate so far has been delightful. Tell me, you've worked anywhere else before?”  
  
“At Rules.”  
  
“Rules? You mean _the_ Rules? In London?”  
  
“Yes, that's correct.”  
  
“Strange, I've dined there a few times but I don't remember your face.”  
  
“That's cause he wasn't among the chefs, he was more of an apprentice” Rin rushed to explain. Knowing how reserved Haruka was, the last thing he wanted would be for the praise to mutate into an interrogation.  
  
“Well, it seems that your training there definitely paid out. We've licked our plates clean.”  
  
“Except Yamazaki-senpai, nii-san!”  
  
Sousuke lifted his blasé gaze, meeting the inquiring faces suddenly gawking at him. He had been picking at his food with a fork for quite a while, completely uninterested to indulge in the piquant temptation. Truth was that, ever since the questionable scene he had chanced upon in the Matsuoka kitchen, Sousuke bore a certain malice towards Haruka. He had never trusted him, nor he cared enough about his culinary skills. Tonight, however, the source of his discomfort was different; jealousy kept striking him so hard, that any physical hunger had been put early to sleep.  
  
“Sousuke dear, this is very unlike you”, Akane shook her head with concern “Your appetite had always been voracious, I fondly remember of you asking for second servings when you were little.”  
  
“I'm not that hungry” he muttered, before pushing his plate away. He threw his weight back to his velvet chair and nonchalantly took another swig from his wine. Gou bit her inner lip. It was painfully clear to her he was avoiding her burgundy eyes.  
  
“So, Nanase...would you be interested in offering your services in my household too for a while?”  
  
Haruka's eyes widened full of question-marks.  
  
“Are you trying to steal my cook, captain?” Rin joked nervously.  
  
“I would be damned before I dared that”, Seijuurou chuckled , “I'm merely asking the boy to visit us once or twice, so I can gloat at my guests too. I assure you, Nanase, they would show a bit more appreciation to yours dishes.”  
  
Seijuurou's snide gesture towards Sousuke's untouched stew, made the brunet's sapphires harden.  
  
“Thank you, lord Mikoshiba. But...” Haruka turned his serene face towards Rin, openly seizing that vibrant crimson of his eyes, “...I think I fit perfectly where I already am.”  
  
And as Seijuurou raised his hands in surrender, asserting that at least he tried, and his younger brother kept teasing him about the cold shoulder he had just received, surrounded by chuckles and whispers, Rin held Haruka's gaze for a little longer. Time leisurely slithered around them, and for a mere moment, the twinkle in the redhead's eyes, as it soared above that azure sea, revealed more than his words could ever express.  
  
“This whole talking about cooking reminds me Matsuoka there's something I brought with me to show you tonight.”  
  
Seijuurou drew out a small, brown pouch from his suit's inner pocket and tossed it on the table, right before Rin. The redhead cautiously turned it upside down in his palm, revealing a handful of exotic apple seeds.  
  
“I know you're growing mostly cherries, but this is a rare, red-fleshed apple variety from the States and I thought perhaps you would be interested. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for a farm in Hampshire. I could take one of your men with me to inspect the trees and bring back samples, if you want.”  
  
Rin rolled one brown spore between his fingertips, feeling its roughness under his thumb.  
  
“My gardener would be the most suitable. I could send him to your residence with the first crack of dawn.”  
  
“Onii-chan, Uozumi took the Sunday off. The basement at his house flooded due to the heavy rain, poor lad.”  
  
“Damn, I forgot I'll be without a driver tomorrow” Rin clucked his tongue irritated.  
  
“In that case, why don't you let your gardener come back with us tonight. He can stay with my own servants and we'll leave altogether from my estate in the morning. Actually this is a better plan, since I would like us to be ready to head out without any delays.”  
  
While Rin was making the necessary arrangements, Haruka quietly excused himself. The dessert course had to follow promptly, after all. But before leaving the oblong salle, he paused close to Nitori, who had been obediently helping all evening with the food trays, and whispered a few enigmatic words.  
  
“Follow me, I want to talk to you for a minute.”  
  
The dessert was cherries jubilee, served with green tea ice-cream instead of the traditional vanilla version, enriching it with an essence from the Great East. It was then that Seijuurou found the perfect opportunity for a toast and clinked his glass with a silver spoon. He thanked Rin for the nostalgic throwback down the memory lane they had shared and exalted his mother's hospitality, to which he had been privileged for years. And when Gou's turn came, he certainly didn't hold back.  
  
“...and as for your lovely sister, Lord Byron spoke of her much better than I'll ever be able to...  
  
_She walks in beauty, like the night_

_Of cloudless climes and starry skies;_

_And all that’s best of dark and bright_

_meet in her aspect and her eyes..._ ”  
  
  
Gou's cheeks were set ablaze. Had Rin tipped him off about this poem? The one her brother himself had dedicated to her again and again throughout their childhood? No. It must have been a wild guess, because Rin looked equally shocked with her, even though he was trying to mask it by joining the applause. And amidst those claps, Sousuke felt he had just received a crushing blow. He knew how deeply Gou loved that poem. For every carefree morning or mellow sunset Rin was reciting it to her, he had been there, silently watching them and echoing every single lyric in his mind.  
  
However, that moment of awe came to a bitter end when Akane convulsed in yet another, violent coughing fit. Gou rushed to her side at once and Rei filled for her a glass of fresh water. Everyone stood up to escort her to her bedroom, and the Mikoshiba heirs offered to summon their personal doctor if needed. But she politely turned down their help, insisting they should continue the dinner unperturbed. Eventually, she bid them goodnight and withdrew to her chambers, always accompanied by Hana.  
  
“I never thought her sickness was this bad. She seemed so lively earlier.”  
  
“Her health has been on the skids the last months. Tonight she looked surprisingly well, but most days she is nothing but a shadow.”  
  
“Surely there must be something that can be done?”  
  
Rin snorted, shaking his head with bitterness.  
  
“Doctors think otherwise. She takes her pills and I always tell her not to gnaw at petty things. Her constant worries these days are the house and...” he switched his pensive stare towards his sister “...Gou's happiness.”  
  
Gou swallowed the small lump stuck in her throat. She had found herself in the same uneasy position several times that night, and now, under the light of her mother's irreversible illness, it was just getting too apparent what this dinner had been all about.  
  
“Onii-chan, please. This is not the best time...”  
  
“Don't be shy, Gou-san. If you need someone to make you happy, then look no further. I am as good swimmer as nii-san, I'll be making you spaghetti vongole every day, we will hunt stag beetles together, I will-”  
  
“Momotarou! Gou-kun is not like any other woman, capturing her heart will be a challenge for you. And I can't say I will just sit on the bench.”  
  
“Bring it on, nii-san!”  
  
“Gentlemen, I'm flattered but...”  
  
“ _My_ sister will be free to choose anyone she wants, but only after her coming of age.”  
  
“Don't you think you remembered that a little late?”  
  
“Sousuke, what exactly is your problem tonight?”  
  
“Onii-chan, please stop it!”  
  
The grave silence, that spread under the weight of their childish rivalry, was only ruptured by the sudden ringing of the bell. Rin rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
  
“Right, I almost forgot we have another guest coming. It's...”  
  
“Tachibana-sensei!”  
  
Gou's heart fluttered as Makoto's luminous face emerged behind Rei, radiating a healing aura with every step closer to the dining room.  
  
“Great, now we got jack quads. It's almost like playing poker...” Sousuke grumbled, only for his ears to hear.  
  
“Gentlemen, Gou...I'm terribly sorry for being so late. It was raining all day and now the roads have turned to a total swamp. My taxi got stuck at a crossroads. I spent God knows how long pushing it and the driver had to also change the tire. But I'm glad I finally made it here. I...” his voice lightly faltered when he noticed the grumpy faces around the oblong table, “...hope I didn't arrive at an inconvenient moment?”  
  
“No, not at all , sensei! Please, come join us.”  
  
Gou hooked her arm around his own and tugged him to the empty seat beside hers, a blithesome smile planted on her face. She ordered Rei to assort a potpourri of every dish they already had for her teacher's pleasure, despite Makoto insisting there was no need to interrupt the dessert course just for him. It was unmistakable; the young Matsuoka felt a different level of comfort when her emerald-eyed instructor was around. Sousuke could see it in the way her fingers would lightly grind over Makoto's biceps from time to time, he could hear it in her prolonged giggles every time he would make an innocent joke. And he wasn't the only one to notice it. Even Seijuurou Mikoshiba had toned down his earlier boasting.  
  
As Saturday was breathing out its last hours, they all moved to the grand hall to chat and relax over after-dinner drinks. Or that was the initial plan, until Momotarou spotted the imposing grand piano and his golden eyes glistened. He begged Gou to play something for them, in that juvenile style of his that was impossible to escape from. Still reticent to perform in front of an audience, Gou sought a getaway from her brother. Instead, Rin only urged her to impress them, embellishing her charisma with the nicest epithets in front of the Mikoshiba siblings. The spacious room had started looking so airless to her, but it was then that Makoto squeezed her shoulder and his cheeks dimpled under his soft smile.  
  
“Just pretend we are at the lesson, and everyone else is like your help, going on about their daily household work. I have faith in you.”  
  
The first notes of Ode to Joy glided in the hall like petals in the morning breeze. She was a beginner, restricted to a simplified version of the famous masterpiece, and yet, despite her slower pace, it went surprisingly well. Everyone was left fascinated and Seijuurou didn't waste the opportunity to express his admiration once more.  
  
“Listening to your beautiful melodies, I'm jealous your brother has this advantage over me.”  
  
“Who knows, Mikoshiba-sama. Perhaps one day I could play something just for you.”  
  
She didn't know why she simpered, or why her mouth rushed to reply with such coyness, before her mind could stop it. Sousuke's melancholic eyes hadn't stopped following her all night, and as soon as she blurted those words, she felt deeply ashamed for that part of herself that enjoyed his misery; he had chosen to remain her brother after all.  
  
Naturally, she was asked to continue playing. But it wasn't the same as before. Her repertoire was rather limited, and that alone stressed her. Besides, her guilty thoughts had drawn a crack on her heart. Sweat was pooling inside her palms, making her fingertips slip on the wrong keys. This pressure, this torture, had descended upon her, forcing her inner self to scream at those voices demanding more. They were spinning around the piano, faceless masks with sardonic grins, and even though she struggled again and again to let the music sweep them away, she was still winding in a spiral, unable to ignore them. Because Sousuke's beads of sapphire kept emerging among them, silently hammering her after every major or minor chord. He was there, at the back. Drinking and watching. Drinking and watching. Drinking and...  
  
“I'm sorry, I can't do this.”  
  
The piano stool scraped against the sleek floor and Gou whisked off, her hands hiding her face. At the door, a strong grip around her arm stalled her, and Rin shook her towards his chest.  
  
“What's going on?”  
  
“Onii-chan, you're hurting me...”  
  
“Why making such a scene? Come back to the piano, this is disrespectful to our guests.”  
  
“No, it's all your fault!”  
  
She tore away from him and , flustered, hurried up the marble stairs. Rin cursed under his breath and took a step after her, but a broader body than his own rose before him like a wall.  
  
“Sousuke...”  
  
“Let me go to her.”

The brunet's eyes pointed at the startled faces watching the whole act in discomfort. Even Rei appeared at a loss for words, gulping down the wine in the silver tray that he was supposed to serve. Rin huffed, anger and embarrassment creeping up his nape , but it would be during such times that he'd be forever grateful he had chosen to welcome in his house a man like Tachibana Makoto. Because the hazel haired pianist picked up fast on the dead-end and his mellow voice stole the attention at the right moment.  
  
“Let's continue with something more lighthearted, shall we?”  
  
While dulcet tones filled the ground floor anew, upstairs Sousuke caught up with Gou in the hallway. Her heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird as he blocked her path. There was a glaze in his eyes that hadn't been there before. She couldn't tell if it was the wine or a desire fathomless and dangerous.  
  
“I have nothing to tell you, Sousuke-kun. You should go back.”  
  
Silence.  
  
“Can't you hear me? I will join you all downstairs, but right now I wish to be left alone. I-..”  
  
“Do you like him?”  
  
Lips pressed in an unyielding line, eyebrows dark and thick merged together, veiling a turquoise crisp and unearthly.  
  
“What...”  
  
“You would play the piano just for him...You would meet him...again...”  
  
She persevered.  
  
“That's none of your business.”  
  
For a brief moment, Sousuke averted his eyes down to his empty hands. As if he was wrestling with his own demons. And then, with a sudden yank on her arm, he hauled her into her bedroom, shutting the door behind them. His force and her shock caused her to trip over her high heels and topple onto her bed, landing on her stomach. Fuming, she swiftly turned around to confront him, but a chilling shiver jolted through her and her eyes stopped blinking. Sousuke had hurled away his jacket, and was now lowering his striped suspenders. Instinctively, Gou kicked further away from him, dragging herself backwards towards the head of the bed and her rosy cushions.  
  
“Wha-what are you doing?”  
  
“He won't have you.”  
  
The mattress sank under his weight, as he placed a knee on it and bent towards her, his white shirt hanging open like his heart.  
  
“Who?!!!”  
  
“Anyone!!!”  
  
The intensity of his scream smacked her face like the wind, and next thing she knew, she was forcefully pulled by her ankles down to his level.  
  
“Anyone...”  
  
He breathed out softly this time, before leaning down and capturing her pulse with his lips. They were scorching against her neck and she gasped audibly, when his tongue flicked over the pounding vein.  
  
“Stop, everyone is downstairs. We can't -”  
  
His response was to rip the front of her dress off her heaving chest.  
  
“I don't care.”  
  
She was trapped. Squirming underneath him was futile; he was too broad and heavy on top of her, a vastness of solid muscles like rocks chiselled over time by waves. And as his mouth ploughed her collarbone, working its way downwards, her eyes started welling up with tears.  
  
“I tried again and again...and you kept telling me you could only be my brother...Why now? Stop...idiot...”  
  
In vain Gou punched his sides with her small fists again and again. For every hit he would take, a new kiss would mark her skin, a new whisper would carry her name. Eventually, those arms that kept shoving him away, were clasped tightly around his back and soft moans pierced their way through her sobs. His hardness against her thigh scared and aroused her the same, everything in this moment was unknown territory to her. And yet, she weaved her fingers through his dark hair and welcomed his bite around her nipple, when he eagerly freed the little rosebud from her bra's prison.  
  
In the meantime, Sousuke was falling apart. His own pulse was thundering inside his head, his mouth was full of Gou's taste. Her intoxicating, cherry fragrance had blended with the heady wine in his breath, making his vision hazy and his lust for her insatiable. He nearly lost it at the sight of her naked bust writhing beneath him and his throbbing cock twitched against her, ready for the conquer.  
  
He wanted to fuck her so badly.  
  
But as his hands were bruising her curves and his mouth moved from her perked nipples back to her neck, licking the salty trails of her tears, a young voice emerged from the coffer of his past.  
  
_“You have pretty eyes. And pretty eyes shouldn't cry.”  
_  
That was right, Gou wasn't supposed to cry. And, above all, he should never become the reason of her tears. He lifted up his gaze and for the first time that night he viewed her clear of his passion's fog, viewed her for who she truly was and had always been; his best friend's sister. His _own_ dear friend.  
  
_“A heart whose love is innocent.”_  
  
The last lyric of “She walks in beauty” echoed in his mind. This monster on top of a naked woman wasn't him. How could it be him? He would never do that to Gou. He would never steal away her innocence.  
  
A growl escaped Sousuke's lungs, as he violently tore himself away from Gou and scampered to the other end of the bed. As the heat of his body evaporated, the startled girl became painfully aware of how much exposed she was. She sat up and curled herself around her knees, in vain trying to cover her naked bosom with the loose ends of her dress.  
  
“Gou...I...”  
  
Quiet sobs were racking her body again. He extended a hand towards her, but his fingers creased back into a fist.  
  
“I...pretty eyes don't...”  
  
His stiff penis was still straining his pants. It hurt him physically to endure this, it pained him emotionally that he was even thinking of it. He felt disgusted with himself. An abomination.  
  
He pulled his weight back to his heavy feet, when he felt a light tug on his shirt. He looked down at the small hand tightly clutching the white fabric.  
  
“Stay...”  
  
Slow, desolate tears stemmed from Gou's bloodshot eyes and dripped steadily into the top of her dress. Yet this time, something had changed. Sousuke collapsed back on the bed , guilt sentencing him to silence. He watched dumbfounded, as the young girl inched closer and a burgundy head sneaked its way into the warmth of his embrace.  
  
“Don't you dare start regretting everything now, idiot...”  
  
A long breath, he didn't know he was holding, escaped his lips. His muscular arms tightened around the delicate body tucked against his chest, and he shut his eyes, inhaling her flowery scent in relief.  
  
“I screwed up big time, Gou.”  
  
“I told you before, we both suck at this.”  
  
“Mhm, that we do.”  
  
She nuzzled his skin, burying herself further into him as much as possible. His fingers interlaced with her silky hair, fondling lovingly that crimson he so adored.  
  
“I'm going to make it right this time. I'll start it properly...”  
  
_“...like the Sousuke you always knew, would”_ his voice resounded in his mind.  
  
“No more I-see-you-as-a-sister excuses.”  
  
“No more.”  
  
“No locking horns with other guys over me.”  
  
“Well, that can't be helped. You have quite a selection of bulls downstairs.”  
  
“I don't care about them. The only one that matters is onii-chan. He can't know. Not yet.”  
  
He rested his chin on top of her head, the beating of his heart in sync with hers, murmuring his agreement. He could stay forever like this. Locked away from the crowd , in her bedroom's jail. However, a sudden knock on the door stirred them both awake from their reverie.  
  
“Gou! Please, let me in for a minute.”  
  
At the thought of Rin discovering them in their current state, Gou's eyes bulged and she shook her head vehemently.  
  
“I can't go out like this.”  
  
“Stay here. I'll deal with him”, Sousuke reassured her, hastily buttoning his shirt up.  
  
“Sousuke-kun?”  
  
“Wha-”  
  
The rest of his question was swept away by her kiss. It was so quick and feathery, that he never managed to respond. But it was enough to leave her seal on his lips.  
  
“Sousuke! What the hell is going on?! How's Gou?” Rin barked as the brunet shut the door behind him.  
  
“She is ok, just felt a bit dizzy. But she doesn't want to speak to either of us right now.”  
  
“Move aside , Sousuke. I want to see my sister.”  
  
“Not now. You have people downstairs waiting.”  
  
“Nonsense.”  
  
Rin stubbornly tried to circle past Sousuke. But the taller male followed his step , blocking his way.  
  
“I said not now, Rin.”

The redhead glowered at his friend like a dragon steaming fire. Sousuke was right though, and this galled him to no end. He spat a curse, before making a U-turn , all the while trying to suppress the fishy detail of Sousuke's top button being undone.  
  
They pardoned Gou's absence, putting the blame on a sudden malaise. But the dinner's spirit had already died out. Eventually, the Mikoshiba brothers politely bid the rest solemn faces goodnight and left the mansion, taking Nagisa with them as it had already been arranged, putting thus an end to a promising night that had gone astray.  
  
As time sailed on and the world outside slept into blackness, the flood-gates in the sky opened once again. The rain snapped and crackled like bracken pods in a bush fire and tree branches were slapping the windows, obliging to the mania of blasting winds. In contrast, the mansion remained peculiarly silent. Only the stairs thrummed under Rin's footsteps, as he descended to the foyer. He had been pacing around the house for a while now, reeking alcohol, unable to put his demons to rest. Gou hadn't left her chamber , refusing to talk to him, and Sousuke had limited his responses to the usual “ow”, before withdrawing to the guest room. Even Rei had vanished.  
  
Rin trudged through the service quarters, his troubled thoughts eventually leading him to the only cure his urges could master. He twisted the old knob, noiselessly opening the door to Nagisa's and Nitori's bedroom. But as soon as he entered, an oil lamp was instantly lit up, its flickering light catching him off-guard.  
  
“Haru?”  
  
Rin's eyebrows rose a notch. There, on Nitori's single bed, the raven haired man awaited quietly. The amber light played peek a boo across his face, colouring his usually clear, azure eyes with the shade of the dark ocean under the beam of the lighthouse at night.  
  
“What's the meaning of this? Where is Ai?”  
  
“He is sleeping in my bedroom.”  
  
“Huh?! What kind of game are you two playing?”  
  
“Why don't you leave the boy alone, Rin?”  
  
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”  
  
“Yes, you do.”  
  
Rin gritted his sharp teeth. His face contorted in an all-consuming anger and his cries boomed inside the narrow room, threatening to wake up everyone in the nearby chambers.  
  
“You have no place to judge me! You weren't hired here for this!”  
  
Tumbling in great distress, the redhead spun around to leave, but Haruka's calm voice stopped him dead in tracks.  
  
“You don't have to leave, Rin.”  
  
“What...?”  
  
Haruka had edged dangerously close and Rin instinctively took a step back, flattening his body against the wooden door.  
  
“You came here looking for something. I can help.”  
  
“What are you saying all of a sudden?” he averted his eyes, a red tinge sprayed on his cheeks.  
  
Without a warning, Haruka dipped his head and seized Rin's lips. The brash youth stiffened, his face turning white as chalk.  
  
“Wait!”  
  
Haruka stared at him with honesty, an imperceptible frown shadowing his handsome features.  
  
“I don't understand. You've been making advances towards me all this time. But unless your force yourself on others, you can't accept them?”  
  
“Yes...no!...I mean...damn it...” Rin rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms “ No, it's just that you're confusing me. And I don't want you to do me any favours.”  
  
“But I don't. I am here because I want to.”  
  
Haruka approached him slowly again, and , this time, Rin's lips parted. A warm sensation tickled their nerves, as smooth tongues leisurely explored each other and breaths mingled in one hot cloud of arousal. Haruka's lips felt like a ripe nectarine that had remained unsoiled. He rubbed them tenderly yet steadily against Rin's flesh, slowly sucking the air out of his lungs. It was an unprecedented experience for the redhead. To be led during a kiss, to follow eagerly the sweet trails someone else was leaving in his mouth. Tempted by their velvet, Rin's teeth grazed his bottom lip with a small bite, eliciting an unusual, soft moan from Haruka.  
  
That mere sound obliterated every thought. Rin gradually assumed control, deepening their kisses and guiding their steps towards the bed. They sat down side by side, and after a few seconds that felt like eternity, Rin pulled back to gaze into his treasure's aquamarine eyes.  
  
“Your body is still very tensed” Haruka probed the strained muscles under Rin's black robe. “Let me ease it for you.”  
  
It was the purest thing ever said to Rin on a bed. Despite the obvious implications, Haruka's words were innocent. He honestly wished to ease the pain off Rin. The means didn't matter.  
  
His hand loosened the knot on Rin's robe and lazily sneaked its way under its dark folds. Rin's penis was already vibrating , solid and slippery on the head. It jerked lightly at the first touch and Haruka watched with amazement, as the reaction was instantly drawn on Rin's expressive face.  
  
“You really don't have to...aah...”  
  
“Rin...”  
  
Haruka found shelter in the crook of the redhead's neck, leaving delicate pecks on his inflamed skin while his hand started stroking his throbbing member.  
  
“Rin...”  
  
It felt amazing inside his palm. Thick and rocklike, yet somehow still silky and sensitive. He flipped his thumb over the wet tip and quickened his pace.  
  
“Slow...slow down...a bit...”  
  
“Rin...”  
  
“Don't ...whisper my name...over and over...aaah...damn...”  
  
He was pumping him harder now, his hand relentlessly moving along his entire length, his deft fingers circling and tightening around the pink head.  
  
“I am not good with words.”  
  
“That's ok...you...aaah...you're good with...your hands...fuck!”  
  
Rin squeezed his eyes shut, his hands grabbing fistfuls of the coarse blanket, while his body roared. When he opened them again, heavy pants were still shaking his chest and Haru was staring blankly at the creamy fluid trickling down his palm.  
  
“Jesus Christ , get a tissue.”  
  
“This is not my room. I don't know where-”  
  
“Top drawer!”  
  
Rin gnarled in embarrassment, gesturing towards a shoddy night-stand between the two beds. All those years, he had experienced countless transient pleasures, yet it was the first time the sight of his semen on another man's skin flared his cheeks up. Still, a strange tranquillity had swollen the innermost folds of his chest, lulling the tension on his muscles and making his body light as a feather. His head fell back on the mattress and his glazed, ruby eyes wandered on the trivial ceiling.  
  
“Oi, Haru...may I stay here tonight?”  
  
“It is your house, Rin. You can be wherever you want.”

“No, I mean, just...” Rin sighed “...let me rephrase it. Stay with me, Haru. Just for a short while.”  
  
That light nod of Haruka's head was perhaps the most precious gift that night had offered him. The raven haired man joined him on the bed, carefully lying beside him. His eyes followed the route Rin's gaze had etched and, until they both slowly delved into sleep , they remained like this; two serene faces lost in each other's thought, two bodies unwinding side by side without holding hands. Though in Rin's dream, they did.

  
  
**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

  
Steam was billowing from the aromatic tea, its bold smell teasing the nostrils. The cherry marmalade looked mouth-watering, spread as it was on freshly baked bread and Makoto took a generous bite, indulging himself in its fruity sweetness. The violent storm of cataclysmic proportions had left him stranded at the Matsuoka residence, having no option but to spend the night at the spare room across Sousuke's. Yet, since dawn, timid sunlight had been sauntering through the last lingering clouds, and soon there was nothing but a thin, wet cloak cast around the land, to remind of the nightly madness.  
  
It was undoubtedly a beautiful morning. Makoto swallowed the last crumbs of his breakfast and took another sip from his warm tea, letting a pleased sigh as he placed the mug down. His emerald eyes twinkled at the sight of the rest chairs, remaining cold and empty around the table.  
  
“No one joined me after all. It must have been quite an interesting night then, don't you think, Hanamura-san?”  
  
A few steps away from him, Hana twisted nervously the ends of her apron.  
  
“Well, sir, Matsuoka-sama and the young lady haven't left their rooms, and Yamazaki-san insisted he wasn't hungry.”  
  
“But even Rei is missing. The whole house seems off-tune.”  
  
“I'm afraid Ryugazaki-san had one too many drinks last night. He's usually responsible for our guests in the morning, while I tend lady Matsuoka...oh...I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to...”  
  
“That's fine Hanamura-san. In fact, you should probably carry on with your duties.”  
  
“But would you need anything else, sir?”  
  
“There's no problem, if I need something, I will find it. Please don't let myself be a bother, just continue with what you normally do.”  
  
The young maid bowed with respect and walked away, but not before offering a few last, cordial words to the pianist.  
  
“I wish we had more people like you around here, sir. Then perhaps this house would have seen brighter days.”  
  
Meanwhile, in the depths of his kitchen, Haruka was just finishing pouring sugar and butter liquid on the crust of his apple pie. Apart being obliged by the menu, there was only one other case he would make desserts; when he was happy. And that fine morning, Nanase Haruka was indeed teeming with happiness. As he skilfully cut an apple in thin slices for decorating purposes, the events of the previous night kept swirling in his mind. Rin's kisses had been overwhelming. The redhead's fiery nature had overpowered him, coaxing out of him moans and sounds he had never heard before. Haruka was certain now; something new had been brewing in the sea. He would just have to find the right time to make Rin listen.  
  
A shuffling noise came from behind him, just as Haruka realised he was one apple short to complete his luscious masterpiece.  
  
“Hana-san, could you hand me another apple from the basket?”  
  
“You mean this one?”  
  
The knife carving the fruit's peel calcified. Haruka slowly turned around. That suave voice was unmistakable. That devious sparkle behind those kind eyes.  
  
Makoto was leaning against the door frame , lazily tossing up an apple he had in hand.  
  
“Hello, _Haru_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I am sorry for the delayed update, it would be nice to know your thoughts on it. Next chapter is up.


	5. Traces on the Snow

**  
  
**

**  
5  
  
  
Traces on the snow**

* * *

  
  
  
The courtyard looked like an unfinished painting. So much of the canvas was still perfectly white, as if waiting for the artist's hand to return. The light struggled through the murky clouds, but even in its weakness it was enough to blind. For the most time, the winter of 1937 had been wet and dull. However, for one troublesome week, a heavy blizzard had blasted various parts of the country, shrouding the lands in mounds of frost. During that time, everyone had found shelter in the rambling Matsuoka mansion, while the world outside surrendered to the alabaster onslaught. Up until yesterday evening when, finally, the snow stopped drifting windlessly down. It would be days before workers shovelled it up around every single residence and the roads were open again, but this morning, the percolated sunshine forking down on the estate had already melted the snow on the highest branches, and their wooden nakedness was now timidly greeting the world anew. For the residents of the estate, the courtyard laying dormant under a thick eiderdown of ivory was such a sight to behold.  
  
“Woohoo! Time to build a snowman!”  
  
“Stop pulling my scarf, Nagisa-kun! Dear God, the stairs are all slippery!”  
  
“Aw Rei-kun, but it's so fun playing in the snow! Onii-chan, come on!”  
  
“Oi you guys are so noisy...oww, who threw that snowball at me? Hey!”  
  
They stormed down the porch, whooping and giggling, their wellington boots leaving clear traces as they ploughed through the snow. Sheathed in his black, duffle coat , Sousuke stood at the threshold, his calm gaze tailing after the cheerful fellowship. He had turned down Gou's nudges to join them with a deep groan, and had earned himself Rin's sneer, but the soft smirk wouldn't abandon his lips for he knew he was cradling happiness in his hand. There, where Gou's tender touch had left its print, when her face was mirroring her brother's scoff but her fingers were secretly fondling the big pads of his palm, before she ran after the rest. Sousuke's fingers curled back into a tight fist, as if to trap forever that heartwarming feeling.  
  
Ever since that fateful dinner, the months had awkwardly strolled by. Bound by his promise, Sousuke had shifted the pace of their relationship, cooling down his ego and allowing both of them to adjust to its new dynamic. Not that jealousy had let him off its quagmire. It would still mercilessly chew on his soul, but this time his mind had somehow kept the reins of control, and thus instilled the pretense of normality in their lives. Yes, everything seemed to have fallen back to their once innocent course. Perhaps a bit too innocent for Sousuke's liking, since Gou would treat him as the second brother she always cherished, and they would smile and tease each other in front of others just like they always had been doing when kids because – really – there were no boundaries to cross between true friends. And they would laugh, and joke about Rin, and somewhere during those times Sousuke would wonder if he had actually imagined that night. If their intimacy had been the spark in a dream he had rudely been summoned from.  
  
But then Gou would scoot closer to him on the garden's bench. Her piercing eyes would still linger on him whenever someone else had the spotlight. Her sisterly kiss would graze the corner of his mouth, instead of his burning cheeks, whenever she leaned in. And Sousuke knew, he just knew, he hadn't dived in that dream alone.  
  
Rin's sudden, rumbling laugh rippled across the niveous haze and the inperceptible stir Sousuke sensed not far from his side, caused him to curiously drag away his sapphire gaze from the uproarious scene in the yard, where a frustrated Rei was blindly groping for his red glasses, a fundamental accessory to Nagisa's snowman. Still, the slightest reaction coming from that peculiar ice-block, Nanase, looked way more thought-provoking.  
  
With a mere navy blue cardigan shrouding his shoulders, and his unreadable eyes tansfixed by that fiery crimson in the distance, Haruka was inwardly mourning. For days that blanket of frost, endless and hostile, had deprived him of his almost vital night excursions to the lake. It would be weeks before the cold dissipated completely and the depths of his beloved hide became welcoming again.  
  
Therefore it was rather unfortunate that, at a time like this, when the only place to channel his relief lay dark and frozen, the pivot of his innermost desires was being a royal pain. Because that's how stressful dealing with Rin and his unpredictable mood swings had been. That morning, Haruka had been happy. Dicing the apples, drenching his pie in syrup, he had been happy. Until Rin had begun fidgeting, bypassing him in the hallways and pretending as if their night shenanigans had been nothing but a blur. Haruka hadn't grumbled about it. The days flew by, the house reverted to its humdrum routine and, eventually, Rin brashly resumed his erotic advances.  
  
That redhead had some nerve. And still, Haruka wouldn't exchange the bliss which had surged him that morning with anything. Not even his one ominous visitor had been proven capable of shadowing the light in his bluebell eyes.  
  
_“So? Aren't you going to welcome me?”  
  
The red apple landed with a plop in Makoto's hand, before being juggled again in the air.  
  
“Oh right, you needed this.”  
  
Haruka caught the fruit tossed at him with ease, yet his cold gaze remained pinned on the smiling man blocking the door.  
  
“What do you want here, Makoto?”  
  
“You're really breaking my heart, Haru.” Hands shoved deep in the pockets of his high-waist tan pants, Makoto sauntered around the kitchen, taking a moment to loiter before the various jars of spices. “I've been playing piano here for a while, I thought you would have recognized my style by now.”  
  
“What do...”  
  
“...I want here, well...I have a student, remember?” Makoto's smile broadened. “ And she's brilliant, I already have big plans for her.”  
  
“You should leave the girl out of this.”  
  
“Now you're being unfair to me. I truly believe she has pontential.”  
  
Time slackened in the Victorian style kitchen. Haruka stared quietly at his uninvited guest, until the whistling sound of the boiling kettle pushed everything back into motion. Averting his eyes, he removed it from the stove and with the same, unparallel nonchalance, he started arranging the apple slices in a flower pattern, on top of his freshly baked pie.  
  
“You're free to work wherever you want to, I am not going to stop you.”  
  
The smile on Makoto's lips faded.  
  
“I have to give it to you, Haru, making it so hard to track you down. Until I stepped in here and..” he casually moved closer, gesturing around him “...just look at this place. It took all my qualifications to get the job, and then there was that awful interview...which brings me to what puzzles me the most; How did you convince them to hire you? How someone like you got into this upscale dump?”.  
  
Makoto tried another step.  
  
“And moreover...why here, Haru? From all the nooks and crannies around England, what's so special about here?”  
  
_ “Won't you join them, Nanase? Is this snow too cold for you?”  
  
The scene from that autumnal morning turned to steam. Haruka's side glance narrowed on the tall man standing by the second pillar of the porch. His smirk wasn't friendly.  
  
“I'm fine here.”  
  
Sousuke hummed. Once again, his face aligned with the rowdy group in the yard.  
  
“Just staring from afar won't get you anywhere.”  
  
“Funny, I could say the same about you, sir.”  
  
It caught Sousuke off guard.  
  
“How dare you...”  
  
“You're too obvious, sir. Both of you are.”  
  
Dimmed teal and gritted teeth, Sousuke's mouth morphed into an uncharacteristic grim line amid his newborn stubble. But Haruka had no intention to pick a fight. Instead, he turned on his heel and headed back into the mansion, leaving the proud brunet aghast and short-circuited, in a dire need of a reboot.  
  
In the peacefulness of his chamber, Haruka took out his old leather sketchbook, his fingertips skimming over the wrap's natural grain. After swimming, doodling on paper the ghosts living behind his eyelids was the closest to liberation he could get. Drawing made his soul levitate. His mind drifted to the scene outside. The charcoal pencil slid deftly on the thick paper, a blend of brisk lines and smoothed curves. And soon, the black was imbued with life. Laughing faces around a snowman, naked trees and ivory bushes. Cobblestone pathways covered in a fluffy white. Endless snow as far as the eye could see. His pencil worked relentlessly. Smudged dots; snow that slowly melted into water. Lines and sine waves that shaped into streams , before violently exploding into rivers. Water. In a trance, his eyes kept vibrating behind their half closed hoods. More water. The sea. Calm and infinite. Accepting and mysterious. Unpredictable and dark like the jagged, charcoal lines suddenly disrupting its tranquility. The turbulent sea.  
  
The tempest.  
  
Haruka's eyes shot wide open, his pupils shrunk and bewildered, just as his pencil leapt off his hand and rolled below the bed. He huffed irritated and, snatching the oil lamp from his nightstand, he let his pale knees touch the cold floor. The light flickered, too wan to exorcise the dimness below the bed. But as he stretched his arm, fumbling for his pencil, he noticed something sticking out the corroded slats. A folded paper was jammed between the threadbare mattress and the wooden boards.  
  
His eyebrows rose as soon as he pulled it out. It was a faded photograph, as least a decade old. With blooming cherry trees in the background, fifteen people had lined up in two rows in order to immortalize a carefree moment of their lives. All of them were dressed in aprons or other staff uniforms, except two; a middle-aged man standing at the far right, dapper in his classy suit, and a young Asian boy sitting in a chubby man's lap, the only foreigner in a sea of Caucasians.  
  
Haruka scrutinized the photo further. There was something undeniably eerie in the way those lifeless faces were sentenced to smile back at their viewer through eternity, but he couldn't suppress the feeling that the child's fair locks looked oddly familiar. Suddenly, a wild thought crossed his mind and he hurriedly stormed out of the room. He didn't have to wander away from the service quarters though, as he immediately blundered upon the very man he was looking for.  
  
“Oh, Haru-chan! Were you resting? Rei-chan doesn't appreciate our snowman wearing his scarf, so I had to come and pick up one of my own. Pity though cause purple looks better on white than....ooowww!”  
  
Nagisa moaned a low cry as Haruka pushed him against the wall.  
  
“Who used to sleep on that bed before I came?”  
  
“Huh? What's got into you all of a sudden?”  
  
Haruka held the photo close to Nagisa's confused face.  
  
“Who are these people?”

The blond man squirmed, stubbornly averting his eyes from the photograph.  
  
“How the hell should I know?”  
  
“Look at the picture! You do know. That little boy in the middle, it's you, isn't it? Look at it!”  
  
Lips tight and cheeks flushed, Nagisa did as told this time.  
  
“So...”  
  
“So, these people are the old personnel, aren't they? You once said all of them were English except yourself. Who's the guy in the suit?”  
  
“Our late landlord. Look, why does it matter? It's just an old photo of the staff, I was too young to even remember when it was taken.”  
  
“Tell me why someone would hide such a trivial photo under his mattress? Who was sleeping there before me?!”  
  
“Let me go!”  
  
“Not until you answer me.”  
  
“The previous cook! Happy? Now let me go, I don't know anything else.”  
  
“You do know. You know more than you are willing to admit. There was a reason Rin fired all those people, and his unpredictability just doesn't cut it. He didn't wake up one day and decide to become a racist who hires only Japanese staff. And there was a reason why your old cook hid this under his bed.”  
  
“I'm not inside everyone's head! I know nothing!”  
  
“What's going on here?”  
  
Crisp and stern, Rin's voice reverberated throughout the corridor. Haruka took a step away from Nagisa and swiftly shoved the photograph in his pocket. Once again, his cold azure silently crossed paths with that fiery scarlet.  
  
“Nagisa, are you alright?”  
  
“Yes, Rin sir!” the young man blurted out in a forced smile “Just came to get this scarf. I'm heading out again.”  
  
As soon as the blond gardener left, silence weighed down on the tensed atmosphere. In slow, calculated strides, Rin edged closer to the brunet, until his own back was now the one pressed hard on the solid wall.  
  
“Don't tell me you fancy them petite and cute now?”  
  
“It was nothing like that.”  
  
“Mhmmm...” Rin's warm breath ignited the pores all around Haruka's face. “It didn't look like a casual chat either.”  
  
Rin's knee moved between Haruka's parted legs.The brunet gasped and, enjoying the reaction he had so effortlessly evoked from him, Rin pressed his body forward, causing the top of his thigh to brush firmly against Haruka's sensitive groin.  
  
“Stop.”  
  
“Why you keep resisting me like this?” Rin's murmur tickled at the corner of Haruka's fine lips. He sensually brushed his mouth over them, letting a light snicker once he stopped at their other end. Teasing him. Torturing him.  
  
“Why you kept ignoring me after that night?”  
  
Rin clicked his tongue, the first signs of irritation twisting his features.  
  
“Does it matter what I did all those months ago? I am not ignoring you now.”  
  
“It matters to me. This is not a power game. Why it's so important for you to maintain the upper hand?”  
  
A spark of challenge flared in Rin's eyes. He nuzzled Haruka's earlobe, his seductive voice coloured with a lilt the brunet knew quite well.  
  
“The only hand I maintain right now is that on your crotch.”  
  
Fuelling his words into actions, he cupped Haruka above his pants and boldly gave him a gentle squeeze. Haruka felt his lungs expanding with briny air. Being this close to Rin, always brought back memories of the sea.  
  
“Me turning you on makes you this nervous...” Rin pinpointed the dip above his collarbone, whence he ritually licked his way up his jawline “...you're trying to turn the tables on me with all this insightful nonsense, but you haven't been yourself for a while, have you? What is it, Haru?” his sharp teeth marked the tender flesh, “...why are you so stressed?”  
  
Rin's hand was kneading him in a steady pace now. He was about to start hyperventilating, too scared his weak soul would slip away from his body along with those tiny, lewd pants escaping his mouth.  
  
“Stop.”  
  
“Why?”  
_  
Water._  
  
“Because you never make a decision.”  
  
“I am making one now. I want to kiss you.”  
  
At that moment, Haruka's eyes betrayed him by doing the sole thing they shouldn't. They helplessly fell on Rin's lips. Those moist, inviting lips that hovered dangerously close to his own. He sensed Rin leaning in, aiming for the ultimate kill, and with his hasty mind could see dozens of white flags rising up all around him.  
  
At the end of the hallway, someone cleared his throat.  
  
“I...I'm terribly sorry Matsuoka, sir...there's a phone call for you in the lobby.”  
  
Rin muttered a curse under his breath, abashment staining his cheeks with a deeper red.  
  
“Should I tell them to call later?”  
  
“No, that's alright Rei.”  
  
As Rin walked away, he looked rather composed. And yet, he didn't spare Haru another glance. On the other hand, Rei delayed his leave, taking a moment to study him behind his trademark red glasses.  
  
“You don't have to worry” he spoke up in all seriousness, as if Haruka's stolid face had asked for any kind of reassurance, “I'm always rather discreet with young master's whims”.  
  
Back in the yard, the boisterous snow fight had already hushed down. Nitori and Hanamura had joined the snow-building spurt, and now even more frigid creations triggered that hyperboreal kingdom back to life.  
  
“Come with me.”  
  
Gou tugged playfully at Sousuke's large hand.  
  
“Sneaking away while your brother is still snooping around is not very wise...”  
  
“Onii-chan is back into the house. He must have literally passed in front of you to get in.” Her guileless giggle was disarming. “Where has your mind been, Sousuke-kun?”  
  
_On you.  
  
_ “Damn.” He shook his head at his own foolishness.  
  
“Come, come!”  
  
He was following her like a puppy on a leash. She was always ahead of him, soft, burgundy tendrils of hair peeking out from underneath her wool beret. Every so often, she would toss a glance over her shoulder, playfully wrinkling her nose at him, before skipping forward again. And just like that, Sousuke was melting faster than the snow under his boots. Her jaunty step was leaving footprints so light, as if she wasn't a woman, but a nymph gracefully gliding across this white mantle.  
  
Those traces on the snow would become his compass. He knew they were guiding him to something sinless and blissful.  
  
Sunk in a hypnotic train of thoughts, he almost bumped on Gou's back when she stopped to raise her gaze upwards. Once again, they had ventured into the Matsuoka gardens. The east tower of the mansion, withered and ivy-clad, was imposingly rising above their heads like a timeless guardian. There where Rin's bedroom greeted them silently from the second floor.  
  
“You know how much I loved to frolic around our gardens as a child. Yet, every time onii-chan was up there studying, I used to come and play beneath his window. Somehow it made me feel safe that he was always there, watching and guarding me from above.”  
  
“And what about right now?”  
  
Gou bit her bottom lip and invaded Sousuke's personal space, her delicate fingers toying with the collar of his coat.  
  
“Now I'm glad he is not up there, because I don't want him to witness me doing things I shouldn't...”  
  
Sousuke's gulp was audible. How he had misled himself to believe she was capable only of innocence? Gou was a Matsuoka after all.  
  
Putting a safe distance again between them, it was now his own turn to lift his sapphire eyes towards the solemn tower. That lonely window, however darkened and empty, was still injecting his heart with guilt. He shouldn't be doing this to Rin. He shouldn't be keeping secrets from him, especially when they involved his sister.  
  
“Gou, how are we sure Rin won't be in his chamber? You said yourself he went back insi...ooomph!!!”  
  
The snowball burst open on impact, showering him with crystalline fragments that glinted in the wintry light. Tiny shivers undulated all around his nose and through this alabaster curtain, he caught a glimpse of the beautiful culprit laughing gleefully.  
  
“That's for refusing to play with us earlier.”  
  
“You little wench.”  
  
Sousuke pounced on her, excitement changing the tempo of his heart. This startled Gou, making her unable to keep her balance on the thick, untrodden snow. Normally, Sousuke would have caught her. But the frosted ground was proven too glassy even for him, and he followed her tumbling down. His broad chest covered her, but his reflexes kicked in on time, preventing his entire weight from squashing her.  
  
“Ouch...”  
  
“Does it hurt?”  
  
“A bit...”  
  
He rolled them over, until it was his own back the one flattened on the cold, bleached mattress. Breath pale against the numbing air, Gou blinked bashfully at their arousing proximity, as white flakes patiently kissed her face. He gently brushed them away, captivated by the soft, dusty illusions of light that sat heavy on her long eyelashes. In the heart of winter, she was breathtaking.  
  
“Better now?”  
  
“Mhmmm...”  
  
Gou lowered her head, inhaling his manly scent. A blend of soap, leather and expensive, single malt scotch. A smooth nibble cajoled his pulse and her mouth followed a trail further up, branding him with its own minty moisture. Sousuke's eyes set behind their heavy lids, too soaked in the sensations her ministrations bestowed on him, until velvet lips found the seam of his own. A peck. And another one. And then even more. All of them touches of feathers, each with its own flicker of warmth. Their lips swayed together, the pastel sound of kisses full of tenderness and experiment tantalizing their ears. Gou angled back and slowly whispered “Sousuke-kun” , prolonging each letter of his name as if to savor them. He didn't dare to open his eyes, too lost into the dreamy fabric of time. Instead, he splayed his hand on her back, gently coercing her down again, as his lips puckered up to meet her.  
  
But all they met was ice. And this time, the handful of snow was more generous. In an instant, his embrace felt painfully barren, as Gou was already laughing and scampering away from him. He sprang back to his feet and blasted off like a bolt on her tail.  
  
However, they didn't run far.  
  
“Heeey!!”  
  
Gou almost tripped when her brother surfaced right before her. Rin grabbed her tightly by the shoulders, helping her steady her wobbly legs. Several steps behind, Sousuke felt the blood freezing in his veins. Rin's eyebrows scrunched together and his suspicious gaze wavered between the patches of white still trickling down their coats and the traces of disturbed snow a few meters away.  
  
“What were you two doing? Rolling in the snow?”  
  
“We were trying to make angels in the snow, but someone was too clumsy. Isn't that right, Sousuke-kun?”.  
  
She winked, her face aglow. Sousuke couldn't believe her.  
  
“Angels in the snow? Seriously, you both need to grow up”, Rin rolled his eyes. “Sousuke, you have time? I need you in my office.”  
  
“Eh, sure...”  
  
“I'll leave you to your business then. Mother should be awaken by now, I'll take my breakfast with her.”Gou teased them with a playful curtsey and hurried back to the house, leaving a whiff of radiance on her trail.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the mood inside the mahogany-clad office fell grave. Rin's irises remained pointlessly glued on the Edwardian mantel clock resting on his desk, as it religiously ticked the empty seconds. Sousuke held open his hand-carved tobacco case, but the redhead gestured away the offer.  
  
“It usually helps.”  
  
He shoved a cigarette between his chiseled lips. Rin just groaned his desperation.  
  
“It won't make Barclays magically approve the loan. I really counted on that money, we won't survive another year of bad crops.”  
  
“I can't believe your connections inside the bank are suddenly that ineffective. Who vouched for you?”  
  
“I..well...didn't exactly...call anyone...”  
  
“Are you kidding me? You just applied for a loan the regular way?”  
  
“I didn't think I would need an insider. Supposedly I've built a name in the market.”  
  
“For the past two years your sales are declining, and you just went in there, filed some paper and thought that would do? Where did you forget your mind, the economy has been a mess for a while.”  
  
“Look, perhaps I overestimated my past relations to Barclays, alright?”  
  
“I guess you'll now have to wait for an answer from the rest banks. I mean...you did knock on other doors too, right?”  
  
Guilt ridden, Rin lowered his head.  
  
“Bloody hell, Rin! You're in critical need of that money and yet you don't plan it at all? What's the matter with you?...No wait, maybe I know what it is.”  
  
“What's that supposed to me?”, Rin's eyebrows twitched.  
  
“You've been unusually careless for a while, Rin. The world is crumbling down around you, but your mind is constantly elsewhere.”  
  
“Utter nonsense.”  
  
“Is it? You aren't focused on your business at all, you started neglecting your social affairs, heck the last months you even forgot your little outrageous plan of wedding your sister. But I have an idea about the culprit behind this.”  
  
“Sousuke, not this again.”  
  
“Are you going to deny it? Everything has changed since _he_ came here. His presence disorganizes you completely, you're always tailing after a cooking apron. You don't even have an idea if he is who he says he is and yet he already has privileges the rest staff doesn't.”  
  
“Now you're making things up. Besides, I was never interested in men for anything more than fooling around.”  
  
Sousuke drew his bottom lip between his teeth and nodded wistfully.  
  
“In all these years that I've known you, the only times I've seen you interested in women is when you're drunk. As your best friend, I wish you could just talk to me...”  
  
“Listen, I didn't call you up here to have a chat about my personal life.” Rin fidgeted in his seat, as if it was lined with pins and needles. “I need to concentrate on finding more funds. I've read in Daily Telegraph, at least for South England, the economic figures have slowly started bouncing back. So there's some hope.”  
  
“Yes, cause of the rearmament.”  
  
“Rearmament?”  
  
Sousuke almost choked on his smoke.  
  
“Honestly, on what planet do you live? Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, we'll find ourselves in a turmoil before we realise it. Especially if those pasta boys join Japan and Germany in their pact against the Soviet Union. We have accelerated our rearmament program cause of this. Modern monoplanes, aircraft carriers, new battleships...Imagine the thousands of new jobs created. There's one standard truth about war; it's the most profitable business of all.”  
  
“Sousuke, don't tell me you're considering...”  
  
When his childhood friend averted his face, nervously stomping out his cigarrette in a ceramic ashtray, Rin's eyes distended in shock.  
  
“Oh my God, you _are_ seriously considering it. You're thinking of reenlisting to the military, aren't you?”  
  
“Well, technically, I never left...”  
  
“Are you listening to yourself?”  
  
“It's just an available option for me, that's all. It's nothing I have to worry for the time being, so let's...”  
  
The hollow sound of knuckles rapping on the wooden door echoed in the office. And much to Rin's surprise – and Sousuke's dismay – a certain, raven haired youth with crystalline eyes walked in, carrying a silver tray laden with breakfast dishes.  
  
“Haru?”  
  
“I'm bringing your breakfast, sir.”  
  
“Yes, I mean...” Rin cleared his throat, darting an anxious glance at Sousuke “...I didn't give you such an order. Rei was supposed to...”  
  
“Ryugazaki is tending your mother and your sister, sir. Since no one came to the dining room for breakfast, I offered to help.”  
  
Rin dismissed Haruka faster than he had let him in. And the moment the door shut firmly behind the enigmatic cook, the redhead knew he was in for a long lecture.  
  
“So you promoted the cook to your personal butler now. Have you lost your mind?”  
  
That incredulous look on Sousuke's face, the one that sheathed his entire contempt towards Haruka, was so difficult for Rin to get used to.  
  
“He isn't my butler. Besides, you heard the man, I didn't ask him to do anything.”  
  
“Even worse then, he promoted himself. There's no hierarchy in this household anymore.”  
  
“Will you stop being a pain, so we can focus on my financial situation? Here, have some tea.”  
  
Sousuke accepted the steaming cup, letting the gesture mask his inward relief. Despite the warning bells going off in his head every time Haruka was near and the genuine concern over his friend's denial regarding his sexuality, he still wanted to drag Rin out of that whirlpool of problems he had so deliberately plummeted in. And as the tall brunet made himself comfortable on the Chesterfield, leather sofa, and finally started unraveling their alternatives for getting a loan, Rin spotted a small, peculiar paper, carefully folded below a bone China plate full of butterscotch cookies. _  
_  
_“At midnight, come find me. You know where.”  
  
_ Blinking several times, the redhead stuffed his mouth with a whole cookie. It was crunchy, but he could feel its taste no more.  
  
The Victorian grandfather clock reigning in the dim corridor was ticking twenty minutes to midnight, when the young Matsuoka trekked away from the dormant mansion. His step was impatient and brisk on the virgin snow, a bell-bottom lantern swinging and rattling in his hand. Anticipation had given his legs wings and he ventured in the crisp night, until the first cedars with their frozen needle leaves materialized under the moon's splendor.  
  
That's when he saw the footprints; holes similar to those his own boots were leaving, forming an oblique path into the grove. Those traces on the snow would become his compass. He knew they were guiding him to something mysterious yet liberating.  
  
He found Haruka standing at the quiet shore, an identical brass lantern hanging limply by his side, his melancholic gaze peering into the pristine layer of ice solidly shielding the entire lake. From afar, those lanterns made them look like two fireflies, idle and lost into the winter's bleak darkness.  
  
“Didn't expect your little billet-doux, but here I am...”  
  
Haruka slowly turned his face towards him and, for a second, Rin wasn't sure if his quivering lamp light was playing a joke on him , or there was indeed the ghost of a smile on Haruka's lips.  
  
“You even came five minutes early.”  
  
“Well it's freezing, I thought staying out here for long wouldn't be a pleasant experience for you. Neither for me, of course! It's always a bit chilling by the lake at night...Not that I come around this place at such hours...I mean I do...sometimes, not regularly...”  
  
“It's alright, Rin. I've mentioned before I know what you have been doing at nights. I've noticed long ago you were following me here to watch me swim.”  
  
Suddenly Rin's throat felt so dry, that it was impossible to swallow. It would be pointless to deny it, all he could do was biting his lip in shame.  
  
“You...hm..you probably think right now what everybody else does...that I'm...some kind of a perverted creep...”  
  
“No.”  
  
"No?” _  
_  
“I know there are a lot of things, probably bad things, you've been hiding from everyone, Rin. But I don't think that any of them is enough to make you a creep.”  
  
There was a sudden glaze over the redhead's eyes, and he kept them wide against the biting cold so they wouldn't betray him. He lightly nodded his head; his silent 'thank you'.  
  
“There's a reason I asked you to meet me tonight. You see, you've been right about one thing.”  
  
“Which is...?”  
  
“I haven't been myself for quite a while.” Haruka's bluebells soared again over the quiescent lagoon. “The truth is I become empty when I'm unable to swim. My relation to water is something I cannot put into words. Only under its surface, do I feel complete. We're an item, we have been as long as I can remember. And I know no one else can understand this, nor I expect them to.”  
  
“That's fine. I mean, I was probably a jerk to you. Really. It's fine.”  
  
“I heard something earlier today. I didn't like its sound. It stung. I don't want whatever there is between us to be another whim.”  
  
A chilling gust of wind hissed through the tall cedars, disheveling Haruka's dark bangs over his handsome face.  
  
“Therefore, I am going to give myself to you, Rin.”  
  
Once again, Haruka tilted his head his way, the glow emanating from his eyes making the moonlight pale.  
  
“When the last pellet of snow melts away, when I can finally swim again, I am going to give myself to you.”  
  
A crystal tear dribbled down Rin's astounded face. And this time, he didn't try to hold back.  
_  
  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm back, sorry it took so long to update. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated. Next chapter will be on its way.


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